Karl Tanja, Schuster Anja, Cadamuro Janne, Oostingh Gertie Janneke
Department of Health Sciences, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Salzburg, Austria.
Research Program of Medical Sciences, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
Front Immunol. 2025 Jul 31;16:1560623. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1560623. eCollection 2025.
Hormones, such as DHEA, cortisol, testosterone, and progesterone play an important part in the regulation of the human immune system. However, the exact role of endocrine factors in the production of antibodies, in this case SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies, remains poorly understood. We investigated the association between hormone levels and SARS-CoV-2 spike-protein-specific IgG antibody titers in a large, diverse cohort of 861 vaccinated as well as vaccinated plus COVID-19 recovered individuals. We observed negative correlations between cortisol, progesterone, testosterone (in males), and SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody levels. In contrast, a positive correlation was found between DHEA and antibody titers in vaccinated males. These hormone-antibody relationships exhibited important sex-specific differences. Our findings demonstrate that hormonal factors are associated with modulating the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2, with implications for personalized approaches to vaccination and treatment. Furthermore, the wide variability in hormone levels within the healthy population also suggests the potential value of incorporating endocrine assessments into COVID-19 risk profiling. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the mechanistic underpinnings of these hormone-antibody relationships and explore their broader clinical applications in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 endemic.
脱氢表雄酮(DHEA)、皮质醇、睾酮和孕酮等激素在人体免疫系统的调节中发挥着重要作用。然而,内分泌因素在抗体产生(在这种情况下为新冠病毒2特异性抗体)中的具体作用仍知之甚少。我们在一个由861名接种疫苗以及接种疫苗加新冠康复个体组成的大型多样化队列中,研究了激素水平与新冠病毒刺突蛋白特异性IgG抗体滴度之间的关联。我们观察到皮质醇、孕酮、睾酮(在男性中)与新冠病毒特异性抗体水平之间呈负相关。相比之下,在接种疫苗的男性中,脱氢表雄酮与抗体滴度之间呈正相关。这些激素与抗体的关系表现出重要的性别特异性差异。我们的研究结果表明,激素因素与调节对新冠病毒的抗体反应有关,这对疫苗接种和治疗的个性化方法具有启示意义。此外,健康人群中激素水平的广泛变异性也表明将内分泌评估纳入新冠风险评估的潜在价值。需要进一步研究以充分阐明这些激素与抗体关系的机制基础,并在持续的新冠疫情背景下探索其更广泛的临床应用。