Sex steroid ablation: An immunoregenerative strategy for immunocompromised patients Journal Article

   


Authors: Velardi, E.; Dudakov, J. A.; van den Brink, M. R. M.
Article Title: Sex steroid ablation: An immunoregenerative strategy for immunocompromised patients
Abstract: Age-related decline in thymic function is a well-described process that results in reduced T-cell development and thymic output of new naïve T cells. Thymic involution leads to reduced response to vaccines and new pathogens in otherwise healthy individuals; however, reduced thymic function is particularly detrimental in clinical scenarios where the immune system is profoundly depleted such as after chemotherapy, radiotherapy, infection and shock. Poor thymic function and restoration of immune competence has been correlated with an increased risk of opportunistic infections, tumor relapse and autoimmunity. Apart from their primary role in sex dimorphism, sex steroid levels profoundly affect the immune system in general and, in fact, age-related thymic involution has been at least partially attributed to the increase in sex steroids at puberty. Subsequently it has been demonstrated that the removal of sex steroids, or sex steroid ablation (SSA), triggers physiologic changes that ultimately lead to thymic re-growth and improved T-cell reconstitution in settings of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Although the cellular and molecular process underlying these regenerative effects are still poorly understood, SSA clearly represents an attractive therapeutic approach to enhance thymic function and restore immune competence in immunodeficient individuals. © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved.
Keywords: unclassified drug; review; cancer recurrence; nonhuman; chemotherapy; t lymphocyte; immune system; infection; cell maturation; hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; puberty; age; regeneration; goserelin; leuprorelin; thymus; shock; drug response; autoimmunity; sex difference; immunity; gonadorelin agonist; immune deficiency; sex hormone; involution; infection risk; thymus function; vaccine; ablation therapy; immunocompetence; gonadorelin antagonist; opportunistic infection; immunocompromised patient; androgen receptor antagonist; human; priority journal; asc j 9; immunoregeneration
Journal Title: Bone Marrow Transplantation
Volume: 50
Issue: Suppl. 2
ISSN: 0268-3369
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group  
Date Published: 2015-06-01
Start Page: S77
End Page: S81
Language: English
DOI: 10.1038/bmt.2015.101
PROVIDER: scopus
PUBMED: 26039214
PMCID: PMC5067941
DOI/URL:

http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84930455155&partnerID=40&md5=77032e643b0eb1326c4b75fe62a7ed7b
Notes: Export Date: 2 July 2015 -- Source: Scopus
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MSK Authors
  1. Marcel R M Van Den Brink
    616 Van Den Brink
  2. Jarrod Andrew Dudakov
    58 Dudakov
  3. Enrico Velardi
    45 Velardi
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