1. Estrogen Therapy Delays Autoimmune Diabetes and Promotes the Protective Efficiency of Natural Killer T-Cell Activation in Female Nonobese Diabetic Mice.
- Author
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Gourdy P, Bourgeois EA, Levescot A, Pham L, Riant E, Ahui ML, Damotte D, Gombert JM, Bayard F, Ohlsson C, Arnal JF, and Herbelin A
- Subjects
- Animals, Autoimmune Diseases drug therapy, Autoimmune Diseases immunology, Autoimmune Diseases metabolism, Cytokines blood, Cytokines metabolism, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 drug therapy, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 immunology, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 metabolism, Drug Implants, Estradiol administration & dosage, Estrogen Replacement Therapy, Estrogens administration & dosage, Female, Galactosylceramides agonists, Galactosylceramides pharmacology, Galactosylceramides therapeutic use, Immune Tolerance drug effects, Killer Cells, Natural immunology, Killer Cells, Natural metabolism, Lymphocyte Depletion adverse effects, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Inbred NOD, Mice, Mutant Strains, Ovariectomy adverse effects, Prediabetic State drug therapy, Prediabetic State immunology, Prediabetic State metabolism, T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory drug effects, T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory immunology, T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory metabolism, Autoimmune Diseases prevention & control, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 prevention & control, Estradiol therapeutic use, Estrogens therapeutic use, Killer Cells, Natural drug effects, Lymphocyte Activation drug effects, Prediabetic State prevention & control
- Abstract
Therapeutic strategies focused on restoring immune tolerance remain the main avenue to prevent type 1 diabetes (T1D). Because estrogens potentiate FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, two regulatory lymphocyte populations that are functionally deficient in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, we investigated whether estradiol (E2) therapy influences the course of T1D in this model. To this end, female NOD mice were sc implanted with E2- or placebo-delivering pellets to explore the course of spontaneous and cyclophosphamide-induced diabetes. Treg-depleted and iNKT-cell-deficient (Jα18(-/-)) NOD mice were used to assess the respective involvement of these lymphocyte populations in E2 effects. Early E2 administration (from 4 wk of age) was found to preserve NOD mice from both spontaneous and cyclophosphamide-induced diabetes, and a complete protection was also observed throughout treatment when E2 treatment was initiated after the onset of insulitis (from 12 wk of age). This delayed E2 treatment remained fully effective in Treg-depleted mice but failed to entirely protect Jα18(-/-) mice. Accordingly, E2 administration was shown to restore the cytokine production of iNKT cells in response to in vivo challenge with the cognate ligand α-galactosylceramide. Finally, transient E2 administration potentiated the previously described protective action of α-galactosylceramide treatment in NOD females. This study provides original evidence that E2 therapy strongly protects NOD mice from T1D and reveals the estrogen/iNKT cell axis as a new effective target to counteract diabetes onset at the stage of insulitis. Estrogen-based therapy should thus be considered for T1D prevention.
- Published
- 2016
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