Loggie John W, Garner Shawn R, Partridge Charlyn G, Dixon Brian, Knapp Rosemary, Neff Bryan D
Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St., London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada.
Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University, 740 W. Shoreline Dr., Muskegon, MI 49441, USA.
Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2018 May 15;261:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.01.016. Epub 2018 Feb 3.
The immunosuppressive effects of androgens are a key component of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH). Here, we use bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) to test two predictions arising from this hypothesis: (1) natural circulating concentrations of the androgen 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) will be negatively related with measures of immunity, and (2) immune stimulation will lower circulating 11-KT concentration. We found no evidence for a relationship between natural circulating 11-KT concentration and measures of immunity (lymphocyte and granulocyte counts, respiratory burst, cytokine mRNA levels), and an immune stimulation with Vibrio vaccine did not affect circulating 11-KT concentration. We also performed a meta-analysis of immune stimulation studies to help interpret our results, and report evidence suggesting that immune stimulation has weaker effects on androgen levels in fishes compared to other vertebrates. These results suggest that the ICHH may not apply to all vertebrates, although it remains premature to state what factors account for the weaker evidence in fishes that androgens are immunosuppressive.
雄激素的免疫抑制作用是免疫能力缺陷假说（ICHH）的关键组成部分。在此，我们利用蓝鳃太阳鱼（Lepomis macrochirus）来检验该假说产生的两个预测：（1）雄激素11-酮睾酮（11-KT）的自然循环浓度将与免疫指标呈负相关，以及（2）免疫刺激将降低循环中的11-KT浓度。我们没有发现自然循环的11-KT浓度与免疫指标（淋巴细胞和粒细胞计数、呼吸爆发、细胞因子mRNA水平）之间存在关联的证据，并且用弧菌疫苗进行的免疫刺激并未影响循环中的11-KT浓度。我们还对免疫刺激研究进行了荟萃分析以帮助解释我们的结果，并报告了证据表明与其他脊椎动物相比，免疫刺激对鱼类雄激素水平的影响较弱。这些结果表明，尽管现在说明哪些因素导致鱼类中雄激素具有免疫抑制作用的证据较弱还为时过早，但免疫能力缺陷假说可能并不适用于所有脊椎动物。
