TY  - JOUR
A1  - Stülb, Hendrik
A1  - Bachmann, Malte
A1  - Gonther, Sina
A1  - Mühl, Heiko
T1  - Acetaminophen-induced liver injury exposes murine IL-22 as sex-related gene product
T2  - International journal of molecular sciences
N2  - Gaining detailed knowledge about sex-related immunoregulation remains a crucial prerequisite for the development of adequate disease models and therapeutic strategies enabling personalized medicine. Here, the key parameter of the production of cytokines mediating disease resolution was investigated. Among these cytokines, STAT3-activating interleukin (IL)-22 is principally associated with recovery from tissue injury. By investigating paradigmatic acetaminophen-induced liver injury, we demonstrated that IL-22 expression is enhanced in female mice. Increased female IL-22 was confirmed at a cellular level using murine splenocytes stimulated by lipopolysaccharide or αCD3/CD28 to model innate or adaptive immunoactivation. Interestingly, testosterone or dihydrotestosterone reduced IL-22 production by female but not by male splenocytes. Mechanistic studies on PMA/PHA-stimulated T-cell-lymphoma EL-4 cells verified the capability of testosterone/dihydrotestosterone to reduce IL-22 production. Moreover, we demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation that testosterone impairs binding of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor to xenobiotic responsive elements within the murine IL-22 promoter. Overall, female mice undergoing acute liver injury and cultured female splenocytes upon inflammatory activation display increased IL-22. This observation is likely related to the immunosuppressive effects of androgens in males. The data presented concur with more pronounced immunological alertness demonstrable in females, which may relate to the sex-specific course of some immunological disorders.
KW  - interleukin-22
KW  - inflammation
KW  - testosterone
KW  - sex
KW  - gender
KW  - acetaminophen
KW  - liver damage
Y1  - 2021
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/63451
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-634518
SN  - 1422-0067
N1  - This research was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG MU 1284/6-2) and by departmental funding (pharmazentrum frankfurt, Institute of General Pharmacology and Toxicology) to H.M.
VL  - 22
IS  - 19, art. 10623
SP  - 1
EP  - 13
PB  - Molecular Diversity Preservation International
CY  - Basel
ER  -