No evidence for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in male humans

Abstract The observations that testosterone might be immunosuppressive, form the basis for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH). According to ICHH only high-quality individuals can maintain high levels of testosterone and afford the physiological cost of hormone-derived immunosuppression....

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Autores principales:	Judyta Nowak, Bogusław Pawłowski, Barbara Borkowska, Daria Augustyniak, Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2018
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/87aa1b1dcd064bf38857bf7aa7350cd5
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:87aa1b1dcd064bf38857bf7aa7350cd52021-12-02T11:40:16ZNo evidence for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in male humans10.1038/s41598-018-25694-02045-2322https://doaj.org/article/87aa1b1dcd064bf38857bf7aa7350cd52018-05-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25694-0https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract The observations that testosterone might be immunosuppressive, form the basis for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH). According to ICHH only high-quality individuals can maintain high levels of testosterone and afford the physiological cost of hormone-derived immunosuppression. The animal and human studies that attempted to support the ICHH by precisely defined impairment of immunity associated with high testosterone levels are inconclusive. Furthermore, human studies have used only selected immune functions and varying testosterone fractions. This is the first study examining the relationship between multiple innate and adaptive immunity and serum levels of free testosterone, total testosterone, DHT and DHEA in ninety-seven healthy men. Free testosterone and marginally DHT levels were positively correlated with the strength of the influenza post-vaccination response. Total testosterone and DHEA showed no immunomodulatory properties. Our findings did not support ICHH assumptions about immunosuppressive function of androgens. In the affluent society studied here, men with higher levels of free testosterone could afford to invest more in adaptive immunity. Since the hormone-immune relationship is complex and may depend on multiple factors, including access to food resources, androgens should be treated as immunomodulators rather than implicit immunosuppressants.Judyta NowakBogusław PawłowskiBarbara BorkowskaDaria AugustyniakZuzanna Drulis-KawaNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 8, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2018)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Judyta Nowak Bogusław Pawłowski Barbara Borkowska Daria Augustyniak Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa No evidence for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in male humans
description	Abstract The observations that testosterone might be immunosuppressive, form the basis for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH). According to ICHH only high-quality individuals can maintain high levels of testosterone and afford the physiological cost of hormone-derived immunosuppression. The animal and human studies that attempted to support the ICHH by precisely defined impairment of immunity associated with high testosterone levels are inconclusive. Furthermore, human studies have used only selected immune functions and varying testosterone fractions. This is the first study examining the relationship between multiple innate and adaptive immunity and serum levels of free testosterone, total testosterone, DHT and DHEA in ninety-seven healthy men. Free testosterone and marginally DHT levels were positively correlated with the strength of the influenza post-vaccination response. Total testosterone and DHEA showed no immunomodulatory properties. Our findings did not support ICHH assumptions about immunosuppressive function of androgens. In the affluent society studied here, men with higher levels of free testosterone could afford to invest more in adaptive immunity. Since the hormone-immune relationship is complex and may depend on multiple factors, including access to food resources, androgens should be treated as immunomodulators rather than implicit immunosuppressants.
format	article
author	Judyta Nowak Bogusław Pawłowski Barbara Borkowska Daria Augustyniak Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa
author_facet	Judyta Nowak Bogusław Pawłowski Barbara Borkowska Daria Augustyniak Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa
author_sort	Judyta Nowak
title	No evidence for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in male humans
title_short	No evidence for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in male humans
title_full	No evidence for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in male humans
title_fullStr	No evidence for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in male humans
title_full_unstemmed	No evidence for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in male humans
title_sort	no evidence for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in male humans
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2018
url	https://doaj.org/article/87aa1b1dcd064bf38857bf7aa7350cd5
work_keys_str_mv	AT judytanowak noevidencefortheimmunocompetencehandicaphypothesisinmalehumans AT bogusławpawłowski noevidencefortheimmunocompetencehandicaphypothesisinmalehumans AT barbaraborkowska noevidencefortheimmunocompetencehandicaphypothesisinmalehumans AT dariaaugustyniak noevidencefortheimmunocompetencehandicaphypothesisinmalehumans AT zuzannadruliskawa noevidencefortheimmunocompetencehandicaphypothesisinmalehumans
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No evidence for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in male humans

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