Journal
NITRIC OXIDE-BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
Volume 15, Issue 3, Pages 177-186Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1016/j.niox.2006.03.009
Keywords
nitric oxide; iNOS; estrogen; IFN-gamma; apoptosis; splenocytes; infection; autoimmunity; lymphocytes
Categories
Funding
- NIAID NIH HHS [5R01 AI51880-03] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Nitric oxide plays a central role in the physiology and pathology of diverse tissues including the immune system. It is clear that the levels of nitric oxide must be carefully regulated to maintain homeostasis. Appropriate levels of nitric oxide derived from iNOS assist in mounting an effective defense against invading microbes. Conversely, inability to generate nitric oxide results in serious, even fatal, susceptibility to infections. Further, dysregulation or overproduction of nitric oxide has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many disorders, including atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Therefore, depending upon the levels of nitric oxide generated, the potential exists for nitric oxide to behave like a double-edged biological sword. Taking these issues into consideration, it is thus pivotal to understand the regulation of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is regulated by many endogenous, factors including hormones such as estrogens. While the effects of estrogen on the generation of nitric oxide in non-immune tissues are relatively well documented, the effect of estrogen on iNOS/nitric oxide in immune cells is only now becoming apparent. Our laboratory has recently shown that estrogen treatment of mice markedly upregulates the levels of NOS mRNA, iNOS protein, and nitric oxide in activated splenocytes. This upregulation of nitric oxide is in part mediated through interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is enhanced by estrogen. These findings are important considering that estrogens are not only involved in regulation of normal immune responses, but also are implicated in many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. To date, there are no reviews on the effects of estrogen on immune tissue-derived nitric oxide and therefore this review will address this critical gap in the literature. Given the increasing importance of immune-tissue-derived iNOS in health and disease, studies on estrogen-induced regulation of iNOS may offer a better understanding of diseases and aid in devising new therapeutic interventions. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available