Crosstalk between estrogen, dendritic cells, and SARS‐CoV‐2 infection

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19) first appeared in Wuhan and has so far killed more than four million people worldwide. Men are more affected than women by Covid‐19, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind these differences are largely unknown. One plausible explanation is that...

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Published in:Reviews in Medical Virology 2022-05, Vol.32 (3), p.e2290-n/a
Main Authors: Mateus, Daniela, Sebastião, Ana Isabel, Carrascal, Mylène A., Carmo, Anália do, Matos, Ana Miguel, Cruz, Maria Teresa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
17β-Estradiol
Adaptive immunity
Alveoli
Antigen-presenting cells
Antigens
Biological activity
CD8 antigen
Clinical trials
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Dendritic Cells
Estradiol
estrogen
Estrogen receptors
Estrogens
Female
Humans
Lymphocytes T
Male
Molecular modelling
Review
Reviews
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Sex hormones
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Summary:The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19) first appeared in Wuhan and has so far killed more than four million people worldwide. Men are more affected than women by Covid‐19, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind these differences are largely unknown. One plausible explanation is that differences in sex hormones could partially account for this distinct prevalence in both sexes. Accordingly, several papers have reported a protective role of 17β‐estradiol during Covid‐19, which might help explain why women appear less likely to die from Covid‐19 than men. 17β‐estradiol is the predominant and most biologically active endogenous estrogen, which signals through estrogen receptor α, estrogen receptor β, and G protein‐coupled estrogen receptor 1. These receptors are expressed in mature cells from the innate and the adaptive immune system, particularly on dendritic cells (DCs), suggesting that estrogens could modulate their effector functions. DCs are the most specialized and proficient antigen‐presenting cells, acting at the interface of innate and adaptive immunity with a powerful capacity to prime antigen‐specific naive CD8+ T cells. DCs are richly abundant in the lung where they respond to viral infection. A relative increase of mature DCs in broncho‐alveolar lavage fluids from Covid‐19 patients has already been reported. Here we will describe how SARS‐CoV‐2 acts on DCs, the role of estrogen on DC immunobiology, summarise the impact of sex hormones on the immune response against Covid‐19, and explore clinical trials regarding Covid‐19
ISSN:1052-9276
1099-1654
1099-1654
DOI:10.1002/rmv.2290