a Department of Pharmacology , Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre , Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia.
Aging Male. 2019 Jun;22(2):129-140. doi: 10.1080/13685538.2018.1482487. Epub 2018 Jun 21.
Testosterone is the predominant gonadal androgen in men. Low testosterone levels are found to be associated with an increased in metabolic risk and systematic inflammation. Since adipose tissue is a source of inflammatory cytokines, testosterone may regulate inflammation by acting on adipose tissue. This review aimed to explore the role of testosterone in inflammation and its mechanism of action. Both animal studies and human studies showed that (1) testosterone deficiency was associated with an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines; (2) testosterone substitution reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines. The suppression of inflammation by testosterone were observed in patients with coronary artery disease, prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus through the increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10) and the decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α). Despite these, some studies also reported a non-significant relationship. In conclusion, testosterone may possess anti-inflammatory properties but its magnitude is debatable. More evidence is needed to validate the use of testosterone as a marker and in the management of chronic inflammatory diseases.
睾酮是男性主要的性腺雄激素。低睾酮水平与代谢风险增加和系统炎症有关。由于脂肪组织是炎症细胞因子的来源，睾酮可能通过作用于脂肪组织来调节炎症。本综述旨在探讨睾酮在炎症中的作用及其作用机制。动物研究和人体研究均表明：（1）睾酮缺乏与促炎细胞因子增加有关；（2）睾酮替代可降低促炎细胞因子。通过增加抗炎细胞因子（IL-10）和减少促炎细胞因子（IL-1β、IL-6 和 TNF-α），在冠心病、前列腺癌和糖尿病患者中观察到睾酮对炎症的抑制作用。尽管如此，一些研究也报告了无显著性关系。总之，睾酮可能具有抗炎特性，但作用大小存在争议。需要更多的证据来验证睾酮作为标志物和治疗慢性炎症性疾病的应用。
