Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Isolation of Murine Peritoneal Macrophages to Carry Out Gene Expression Analysis Upon Toll-like Receptors Stimulation
Published on: April 29, 2015
Sex steroid hormones modulate the activation of murine peritoneal macrophages: receptor mediated modulation
Abstract:
The comparative dose and time-dependent effects of male and female sex steroid hormones on nitrite release by murine peritoneal macrophages (M phi) stimulated by LPS were studied. M phi from gonadectomized mice released larger amounts of nitrite on LPS stimulation than controls; although nitrite release was significantly greater in castrated males than in ovariectomized females, suggesting that sex hormone deprivation results in an increase in nitrite release. This was further confirmed by in vitro treatment of M phi with estradiol (E2), testosterone (T) and progesterone (P) at different doses and duration prior to, and during, stimulation of nitrite production by LPS. E2 (except at 10(-2) ng/ml), T and P significantly (P < 0.05) suppressed the nitrite release in a dose-dependent manner. Nitrite release from M phi increased with decreasing exposure time to E2, T and P. Preincubation of M phi with sex hormones prior to LPS treatment also reduced nitrite production. Sex steroid receptor antagonists tamoxifen citrate, cyproterone acetate/flutamide and RU486 markedly reduced the inhibitory effect of E2, T and P, respectively, suggesting that sex hormones modulate M phi nitrite release via a receptor-mediated system.
Related Concept Videos
Internal Receptors
Types of Receptors: Internal Receptors
Similar to membrane-bound receptors, the binding of a ligand to the intracellular receptor of causes a conformational change in the...
Transducer Mechanism: Nuclear Receptors
About 48 different soluble family members of nuclear receptors are identified that can be divided into two main classes:
Secondary Messengers in Hormone Action
Many hormones bind to transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors that connect to regulatory G proteins. These G proteins can then activate enzymes such as adenylyl cyclase or phospholipase C. Adenylyl cyclase converts ATP to cAMP, activating...
Target Cell Response to Hormones
Notably, the cellular response can be regulated by altering the number of receptors expressed in the cell. For example, prolonged exposure to elevated hormone levels results in a gradual decline or down-regulation in the number of receptors for that specific hormone on the cell surface. Conversely, in response to low hormone levels, cells may use up-regulation, producing an...

