Effect of estrogens on bacterial adherence to HeLa cells

Incubating confluent cell culture HeLa cells for 18 h with increasing concentrations of estrogens progressively enhanced the subsequent attachment of a variety of radiolabeled bacteria to the HeLa cells. This effect was not caused by other hormones and was not produced by 1-h incubations of HeLa cells or bacteria with hormones. Estrogens did not similarly affect two other receptor cell lines studied. The addition of metabolic inhibitors showed that this effect of estrogens on HeLa cells was energy dependent and involved protein synthesis. Concurrent incubation of the HeLa cells and estrogens with the antiestrogen nafoxidine blocked the subsequent increase in adherence. These data suggest that estrogen receptors are present in HeLa cells and that hormonally-induced alterations in the synthesis of bacterial receptor sites may modify the capacity of certain cells to bind bacteria.