This male hormone exacerbates neutrophilia and cardiac lesions caused by myocardial infarction with actions in bone marrow.
- Testosterone worsens the damage caused by a heart attack by increasing the number of white blood cells released by the bone marrow.
- However, tocilizumab, an interleukin 6 receiver inhibitor, reduces the number of neutrophils in the blood and complications to a larger extent in men than in women.
- These results may have implications for the treatment of heart attacks in men and women.
When the intake of blood to the heart is blocked and the heart muscle is damaged, we are talking about heart attack. Subsequently, a strong inflammatory reaction, in which neutrophils, namely a type of white blood cells, play a key role in aggravating the injury, occurs. According to scientists from the University of Göteborg (Sweden), “Men who have undergone a myocardial infarction develop more important complications than women, but the mechanism that underpins this gender difference is not known.” This is why the latter conducted a study during which they had experiences on mice.
Testosterone accelerates the production of neutrophils
According to the results, published in the review Nature Communicationsthe number of neutrophils in the blood during the first days of a heart attack was higher in males than in females. The testosterone deficiency induced by castration reduced the number of blood neutrophils to the female and increased survival after myocardial infarction. Thus, this male hormone secreted by the testicles “Strengthens the inflammatory response in male mice, which causes higher cardiac lesions”.
In order to go further, the team used data from a clinical trial in which tocilizumab, an interleukin 6 receptor inhibitor, was administered to patients shortly after a heart attack. The data has confirmed that testosterone, present at significantly higher levels in men, accelerates the release of neutrophils from the bone marrow. On the other hand, the drug reduced neutrophil level levels and reduced cardiac damage, with a significantly greater effect in men than in women.
Implications for the treatment of heart attacks
“Our study shows how testosterone affects neutrophils by a hitherto unknown mechanism. The results illustrate the importance of taking into account the differences between the sexes, both in research and in health care. If these differences are neglected , treatments can be less effective, especially for women, who are often underrepresented in studies “, has concluded Åsa Tivestenwho led the work.
