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Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2006; 114(6): 322-328
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-924255
Article

J. A. Barth Verlag in Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Low Doses of Dexamethasone Affect Immune Parameters in the Absence of Immunological Stimulation

A. Schuld1 , S. Birkmann1 , P. Beitinger1 , M. Haack1 , T. Kraus1 , M. A. Dalal1 , F. Holsboer1 , T. Pollmächer1
  • 1Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

Received: May 31, 2005 First decision: August 23, 2005

Accepted: December 22, 2005

Publication Date:
26 July 2006 (online)

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Abstract

Recent findings suggest an important role of subtle changes in the plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines within the brain-immune interplay. It is unclear how such changes are regulated in the absence of acute inflammatory or infectious stimuli. Endocrine systems are a good candidate, because innate immunity and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-system are closely related: glucocorticoids have immunosuppressive properties and modulate cytokine release from stimulated mononuclear blood cells in vitro and the immune response in vivo, but it still remains unclear, whether they also modulate circulating cytokine levels in the absence of immunological stimuli. We measured the influence of 1.5 or 3.0 mg dexamethasone (DEX) per os at 09:00 or 21:00 hours on body temperature, cortisol plasma levels, differential white blood cell counts, and cytokine plasma levels in 40 healthy male volunteers using a double-blind, placebo-controlled study design. In addition to significant morning-evening differences in tympanic temperature and several immune parameters, we found that DEX-intake significantly increased tympanic temperature, decreased cortisol plasma levels, altered differential white blood cell counts and induced changes in unstimulated plasma cytokine levels. Whereas the levels of TNF-α and sTNF‐R p75 were reduced, the levels of sTNF‐R p55 increased after a transient decrease.

Key words

Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal-system - glucocorticoids - tumor-necrosis-factor

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MD Andreas Schuld

Center of Mental Health
Klinikum Ingolstadt

Krumenauer Straße 25

85021 Ingolstadt

Germany

Phone: + 49 841 880 2222

Fax: + 49 841 880 2209

Email: andreas.schuld@klinikum-ingolstadt.de

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