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Papapavlou G, Hellberg S, Raffetseder J, Brynhildsen J, Gustafsson M, Jenmalm MC, Ernerudh J
Eur. J. Immunol. 51 (10) 2430-2440 [2021-10-00; online 2021-07-26]
Estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) are steroid hormones important for the regulation of immune responses during pregnancy. Their increasing levels coincide with an improvement of T cell-mediated diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Although immune-endocrine interactions are involved in this phenomenon, the relative contribution of hormones is not known. We here report a direct comparison of E2- and P4-mediated effects on human CD4+ T cells, key cells in immune regulation. T cells were stimulated to obtain different activation levels and exposed to a broad range of hormone concentrations. Activation level was assessed by CD69/CD25 expression by flow cytometry, and secreted proteins (n = 196) were measured in culture supernatants using proximity extension assay and electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. We found that in low activated cells, pregnancy-relevant E2 concentrations increased activation and the secretion of several immune- and inflammation-related proteins. P4, on the other hand, showed a biphasic pattern, where serum-related concentrations upregulated activation and protein secretion while placenta-relevant concentrations induced a prominent dampening irrespective of the initial activation level. Our results demonstrate the importance of P4 as a major hormone in the immune modulation of T cells during pregnancy and emphasize the need to further evaluate its potency in the treatment of diseases like MS.
Affinity Proteomics Uppsala [Service]
PubMed 34223649
DOI 10.1002/eji.202049144
Crossref 10.1002/eji.202049144