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LOW SERUM LEVELS OF DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE AND CORTISOL IN HUMAN DIFFUSE CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS BY LEISHMANIA MEXICANA

Low levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol hormones produced by the suprarenal cortex have been associated with diseases involving chronic inflammation, low interferon (IFN)-, and high interleukin (IL)-6. Diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DL), a long-lasting intracellular parasitic infectious disease, can spread unknown levels of DHEA and cortisol. Serum concentrations of both were measured in 5 patients with DL, in 15 patients with localized lesions produced by Leishmania (LL), and in 20 healthy volunteers. Leishmania mexicana mexicana was identified as the causal agent in patients with DL and LL. Hormone levels were lower in DL compared with controls and LL. Furthermore, we detected a lower percentage of IFN-–positive cells with higher levels of IL-6 and higher titers of anti-Leishmania antibodies in patients with DL, whereas patients with LL were similar to controls. These data suggest that patients with DL may be good candidates for DHEA and cortisol supplementation.

Received February 28, 2006. Accepted for publication November 27, 2006.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank Dr. Charles A. Dinarello and Dr. Leopoldo Flores for critical reading and valuable comments to the manuscript.

Financial support: This work was supported by CONACyT-SIGOLFO Grant 00-02-002-T.

^* Address correspondence to Norma Galindo-Sevilla, Instituto Nacional de Perinatologia, Subdireccion de Investigacion Clinica, Montes Urales 800, Col. Lomas de Virreyes, Mexico, D. F. 11000. México. E-mail: NGalindoSevilla{at}hotmail.com

Authors’ addresses: Norma Galindo-Sevilla, Instituto Nacional de Perinatologia, Subdireccion de Investigacion Clinica, Montes Urales 800, Col. Lomas de Virreyes, Mexico, D. F. 11000. México, Telephone: 52-55-5520-9900 ext. 513, Fax: 52-55-5540-6542, E-mail: NGalindoSevilla{at}hotmail.com. Norma Soto, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Division Academica de Ciencias de la Salud, Av. Gregorio Méndez 2838-A, Col. Tamulte, Villahermosa, Tabasco, 86100, Mexico, E-mail: sotonlm2003{at}yahoo.com. Javier Mancilla and Arturo Cerbulo, Instituto Nacional de Perinatologia, Departamento de Infectologia e Inmunologia, Nontes Urales 800, Col. Lomas de Virreyes, Mexico City 11000, Mexico, E-mails: drmancilla{at}gmail.com and cerbulo{at}hotmail.com. Elena Zambrano and Roberto Chavira, Institiuto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutricion, Vasco de Quiroga 15, Col. Section XVI, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14000, Mexico, E-mail: zamgon{at}laneta.apc.org. Jaime Huerto, Secretaria de Salud de Tabasco, Jurisdicción Comalcalco, Av. Paseo Tabasco 1504, Tabasco 2000, Villahermosa, Tabasco, 86035, Mexico, E-mail: jhuerto{at}hotmail.com.

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