Dehydroepiandrosterone: an inexpensive steroid hormone that decreases the mortality due to sepsis following trauma-induced hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND

Recent studies suggest that male sex steroids play a role in producing immunodepression following trauma-hemorrhage. This notion is supported by studies showing that castration of male mice before trauma-hemorrhage or the administration of the androgen receptor blocker flutamide following trauma-hemorrhage in noncastrated animals prevents immunodepression and improves the survival rate of animals subjected to subsequent sepsis. However, it remains unknown whether the most abundant steroid hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), protects or depresses immune functions following trauma-hemorrhage. In this regard, DHEA has been reported to have estrogenic and androgenic properties, depending on the hormonal milieu.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether administration of DHEA after trauma-hemorrhage has any salutary or deleterious effects on immune responses, and whether it improves the survival of animals subjected to subsequent sepsis.

DESIGN

Male C3H/HeN mice underwent laparotomy (ie, trauma-induced) and hemorrhagic shock (blood pressure, 35+/-5 mm Hg for 90 minutes) followed by fluid resuscitation, or sham operation. The animals then received 100 mg of DHEA (4 mg/kg) or propylene glycol (hereafter referred to as vehicle). At 24 hours after trauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation, the animals were killed and blood, spleens, and peritoneal macrophages were harvested. Splenocyte proliferation and interleukin (IL) 2 release and splenic and peritoneal macrophage IL-1 and IL-6 release were determined. In a separate set of experiments, sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture at 48 hours after trauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation. For those studies, the animals received vehicle, a single 100-microg dose of DHEA, or 100 microg/d DHEA for 3 days following hemorrhage and resuscitation. Survival was monitored for 10 days after the induction of sepsis.

RESULTS

Administration of DHEA restored the depressed splenocyte and macrophage functions at 24 hours after trauma-hemorrhage. Moreover, daily administration of DHEA for 3 days significantly increased the survival of animals subjected to subsequent sepsis (P=.01).

CONCLUSION

The finding that DHEA markedly improves the depressed immune functions and survival of animals subjected to subsequent sepsis suggests that short-term treatment with DHEA after trauma-hemorrhage is a safe and novel approach for preventing immunodepression and for decreasing the mortality rate due to subsequent sepsis.