Resumo

DE LEON-NAVA, Marco A  e  MORALES-MONTOR, Jorge. Immune sexual dimorphism: Can sex steroids affect the Thl/Th2 cytokine profile?. Rev. invest. clín. [online]. 2006, vol.58, n.2, pp.161-169. ISSN 2564-8896.

Cytokine secretion is a crucial aspect in immune system modulation. The secretion pattern of these molecules determines the immune response type that will confront a particular antigen, and this pattern can be at least of two types. A Thl pattern, effective to eliminate mainly intracellular pathogens and a Th2 pattern, crucial to eradicate extra cellular pathogens. There are many immunological factors that affect expression of these proteins and auto regulate the Th1/Th2 balance, but there are few evidences about effect of other protagonists of mammals physiology. This review focuses on the regulation of the Th1/Th2 cytokine secretion pattern of immune cells by sexual steroids. The evidences indicate that cytokines and steroids form a common chemical language effective to keep the balance between immune and endocrine systems. Alterations of this delicate network can explain different pathologies where gender-associated differences exist and where sexual steroids are crucial factors.

Palavras-chave : Sex steroids; Polarization; Immune response; Cytokines; Th1; Th2.

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