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Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy (S.C., C.C., E.M.,C.M); Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo," Messina, Italy (S.C., E.M.); Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Chemotherapy Section, University of Perugia, and Polo Scientifico e Didattico di Terni, Italy (S.B., M.A., R.D.V.,C.R.); Department of Experimental Pharmacology, University of Naples "Federico II," Naples, Italy (E.E., R.M.); and Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Italy (E.V., A.M.)
The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and estrogen receptor (ER) play important roles in both physiological and pathological conditions involving cell growth and differentiation, lipolysis, control of glucose metabolism, immunity, and inflammation. In fact, recent studies suggest that 17
-estradiol, like glucocorticoids, may also have anti-inflammatory properties, even if the molecular mechanisms responsible for these activities have not yet been completely clarified. The present study was designed to gain a better understanding of the possible cross-talk between GR and ER in a model of lung inflammation (carrageenan-induced pleurisy). In particular, we have investigated whether fulvestrant (ICI 182,780), a selective ER-
antagonist, is able to attenuate the well known anti-inflammatory effect of dexamethasone (DEX), a synthetic glucocorticoid, in ovariectomized rats. We show that ICI 182,780, a selective ER-
antagonist, reverses the anti-inflammatory activity exhibited by DEX. Moreover, the coadministration of ICI 182,780 significantly inhibited the ability of DEX to reduce: 1) the degree of lung injury, 2) the rise in myeloperoxidase activity, 3) the increase of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity, tumor necrosis factor
, and interleukin-1
levels, 4) inducible nitric-oxide synthase, 5) lipid peroxidation, 6) nitrotyrosine formation, 7) cyclooxygenase expression, and 8) the I
B-
degradation caused by carrageenan administration. In addition, quantitative PCR shows that DEX down-regulates GR and up-regulates glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper levels, whereas ICI 182,780 does not counteract these effects. In conclusion, these results suggest that the in vivo anti-inflammatory property of DEX is also related to the ER-
.
Address correspondence to: Dr. Salvatore Cuzzocrea, Dipartimento Clinico e Sperimentale di Medicina e Farmacologia, Torre Biologica, Policlinico Universitario, 98123 Messina, Italy. E-mail: salvator{at}unime.it
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