02725nas a2200385   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653002400054653005700078653004000135653001200175653001700187653002700204653001500231653002600246100002800272700001900300700001700319700001800336700001900354700001500373700001700388700001500405700001600420700001800436700002300454700002100477700001700498245013200515856006600647300000900713490000600722520159700728022001402325       2023                            d  bMDPI AG10aInfectious Diseases10aPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health10aGeneral Immunology and Microbiology10aleprosy10aTestosterone10amacrophage suppression10aLeishmania10aneuroendocrine system1 ade Oliveira Rekowsky LL1 ade Oliveira DT1 aCazzaniga RA1 aMagalhães LS1 aAlbuquerque LF1 aAraujo JMS1 aTenório MDL1 aMachado TC1 aLipscomb MW1 ados Santos PL1 aRibeiro de Jesus A1 aBezerra-Santos M1 ada Silva RLL00aInfluence of Testosterone in Neglected Tropical Diseases: Clinical Aspects in Leprosy and In Vitro Experiments in Leishmaniasis  uhttps://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/8/7/357/pdf?version=1689041374  a1-100 v83 a<p>Neglected tropical diseases encompass a group of chronic and debilitating infectious diseases that primarily affect marginalized populations. Among these diseases, leprosy and leishmaniasis are endemic in numerous countries and can result in severe and disfiguring manifestations. Although there have been reports indicating a higher incidence of leprosy and leishmaniasis in males, the underlying factors contributing to this observation remain unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine both clinical and experimental evidence regarding the role of testosterone in leprosy and leishmaniasis. A prospective clinical study was conducted to compare the clinical forms of leprosy and assess circulating testosterone levels. Additionally, the impact of testosterone on Leishmania amazonensis-infected macrophages was evaluated in vitro. The findings demonstrated that serum testosterone levels were higher in women with leprosy than in the control group, irrespective of the multi- or pauci-bacillary form of the disease. However, no differences in testosterone levels were observed in men when comparing leprosy patients and controls. Interestingly, increasing doses of testosterone in macrophages infected with L. amazonensis resulted in a higher proportion of infected cells, decreased CD40 expression on the cell surface, elevated expression of SOCS1, and decreased expression of IRF5. These findings provide biological evidence to support the influence of testosterone on intracellular infections, though the interpretation of clinical evidence remains limited.</p>
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