Host Sex Steroids Interact With Virus Infection: New Insights Into Sex Disparity in Infectious Diseases.
Front Microbiol
; 12: 747347, 2021.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1528834
ABSTRACT
Sex hormones are steroid hormones synthesized from the gonads of animals and tissues such as the placenta and adrenocortical reticular zone. The physiological functions of sex hormones are complex. Sex hormones are not only pathologically correlated with many diseases of the reproductive system, but are etiological factors in some viral infectious diseases, including disease caused by infections of coronaviruses, herpesviruses, hepatitis viruses, and other kinds of human viruses, which either exhibit a male propensity in clinical practice, or crosstalk with androgen receptor (AR)-related pathways in viral pathogenesis. Due to the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the role of androgen/AR in viral infectious disease is highlighted again, majorly representing by the recent advances of AR-responsive gene of transmembrane protease/serine subfamily member 2 (TMPRSS2), which proteolytically activates the receptor-mediated virus entry by many coronaviruses and influenza virus, along with the role of androgen-mediated signaling for the transcription of hepatitis B virus (HBV), and the role of sex hormone responsive genes during Zika virus (ZIKV) pathogenesis, et al. Collectively, we propose to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of male sex hormones during multiple phases in the life cycle of different human viruses, which may be partly responsible for the sex-specific prevalence, severity and mortality of some diseases, therefore, may provide clues to develop more efficient prevention and treatment strategies for high-risk populations.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Etiology study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal:
Front Microbiol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Fmicb.2021.747347
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