Expression of steroidogenic enzyme in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy individuals and its association with age and sex

GAYDOU L, TSCHOPP MV, BOSQUIAZZO VL, RAMOS JG

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta de Sociedades de BioCiencias; 2017

There is strong evidence that cells of the immune system cansecrete a wide variety of hormones, however little is known abouttheir function, or its association with certain pathologies. Our goalwas to study the expression of different enzymes related to steroidsynthesis in PBMC from healthy individuals. We separated PBMCfrom males and females of ages 25 ? 90 using a Ficoll gradient,RNA was obtained with Trizol reagent, and reverse transcribed toobtain cDNA. We designed primers for aromatase (Aro), 5α-reductase(5aR) 1, 2 and 3, and 3β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase(3bHSD). Real-Time PCR was performed using L19 as a housekeepinggene. Statistical analysis were carried out using R software.We found that 5aR1, 5aR3 and 3bHSD were expressed on PBMCs,but not Aro or 5aR2. Moreover, 5aR1 showed correlation with age inmen (P=0,049), with a significantly higher expression in men olderthan 50 years (P=0,0257). When comparing both sexes, we foundhigher values of 5aR1 in men vs women older than 50 years (P=0,0262). Concerning 5aR3, we found a higher expression in womenolder than 40 vs younger than 40 years (P=0,0399), and whenwe compared men and women, we found higher levels of enzymeexpression in males older than 50 years (P=0,0371). These findingsdemonstrate that PBMCs have the required machinery to produceseveral sex-related hormones, and that these effects are more noticeableat a higher age, when hormone production from endocrineorgans decreases. Future studies will compare these findings withthe expression of steroidogenic enzymes in Chronic LymphocyticLeukemia (CLL) samples, taking into account that CLL is more frequentin people older than 50 years, and has a sex dimorphism,being men more susceptible than women.