Multiple Sclerosis

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Register here to gain access to SAGE's 500+ Journals Online

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by van den Broek, H. H.
Right arrow Articles by Hupperts, R. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by van den Broek, H. H.
Right arrow Articles by Hupperts, R. M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Multiple Sclerosis, Vol. 11, No. 3, 349-359 (2005)
DOI: 10.1191/1352458505ms1174rr

The influence of sex hormones on cytokines in multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: a review

Hans HLP van den Broek

Department of Neurology, University Hospital Maastricht, P Debyelaan 25, PO Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands, hvan{at}sneu.azm.nl

Jan GMC Damoiseaux

Department of Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Maastricht, P Debyelaan 25, PO Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands

Marc H De Baets

Department of Neurology, University Hospital Maastricht, P Debyelaan 25, PO Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands

Raymond MM Hupperts

Department of Neurology, University Hospital Maastricht, P Debyelaan 25, PO Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands

The female predominance of multiple sclerosis (MS) has suggested that hormonal differences between the sexes must confer some protective effect on males or enhance the susceptibility of females to this disease. There has been evidence that gonadal hormones can modulate the immune response regulated by antigen presenting cells and T cells. These cells control the immune response by the production of interacting pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The first include the acute phase pro-inflammatory cytokines of the innate immune response as well as the T-helper 1 (Th1) cytokines, while the later contain the Th2 cytokines as well as the suppressor cytokines. There is some evidence that MS and experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) are Th1 cell-mediated diseases. For this reason many studies have been done to influence the pro-inflammatory cytokine production of these Th1 cells in favour of an anti-inflammatory immune response as mediated by Th2 cells. However the role of the regulatory T cells in this context is not clearly understood. Here we review the studies concerning the role of sex hormones on the cytokine production in relation to the disease course of MS and EAE and in particular in the light of the recent revival of the regulatory T cells and their suppressive cytokines.

Key Words: cytokine • experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) • hormones • multiple sclerosis


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Arch NeurolHome page
D. M. Wingerchuk and M. Rodriguez
Premenstrual multiple sclerosis pseudoexacerbations: role of body temperature and prevention with aspirin.
Arch Neurol, July 1, 2006; 63(7): 1005 - 1008.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]