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In vitro modulation of activation antigens on human lymphocytes by beta-estradiol
1Research Institute for Human Reproduction, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tiqva, Israel.
Problem:
The possible in vitro immunomodulating effect of beta-estradiol on phytohemagglutinin-stimulated human lymphocyte cultures was studied.
Method Of Study:
Lymphocyte cultures from 12 healthy men and women aged 25-35 years were set up for 12 hr in the presence and in the absence of beta-estradiol, and the expression of the activation markers CD25, CD69, and CD71 was examined by flow cytometric analysis with specific fluorescent conjugated antibodies.
Results:
Although the number of cases is small, in 10 of 12 cases in the presence of beta-estradiol in two different concentrations, a significantly decreased expression of CD69 could be observed. A slight decrease could also be observed for the Interleukin-2 receptor expression; however, the difference, in the presence or absence of beta-estradiol, was not significant.
Conclusions:
The results suggest that in vitro addition of beta-estradiol can inhibit, to a certain degree, specific activation markers on phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes from young men and women. The present study could not define the role of sex differences because of the small number of samples. A comparison between men and women at various ages in a greater number of cases, as well as studies on activation markers after treatments with estrogens, would be useful.
