[en] The objective of this investigation was to study the effects of sex steroids on levels of haemoglobin (Hb) and haematocrit (Hct) and to analyse whether these effects can be related to levels of the soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), a marker of erythropoietic activity. Nineteen male-to-female transsexuals were randomly assigned to either oral ethinyl oestradiol (EE) (n=12) or transdermal 17beta-oestradiol (E2) (n=7); both treatments included the anti-androgen cyproterone acetate (CA). Six male-to-female transsexuals were treated with CA only. Fifteen female-to-male transsexuals were treated with i.m. testosterone esters. The Hct, and levels of Hb, IGF-I, GH and sTfR were measured before and after 4 months of hormone administration. Androgen administration significantly increased the sTfR concentration by 31.5% (P=0.008) and increased levels of Hct, Hb and IGF-I. Both regimens of CA with oral EE and transdermal E2 reduced plasma testosterone similarly to castrate values and decreased Hb and Hct. The CA+oral EE combination induced a decrease in sTfR of 19.0% (P=0.002) which was not the case with CA+transdermal E2 (P=0.27). This cannot be explained by the profound decline in plasma testosterone which was similar with both regimens, but this difference could be related to the different effects of the two regimens on plasma IGF-I. This assumption is supported by the positive correlation that was found to exist between plasma sTfR and IGF-I after the interventions (P<0.05).
Disciplines :
Hematology
Author, co-author :
T'Sjoen, Guy
Beguin, Yves ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Hématologie clinique
Feyen, Els
Rubens, Robert
Kaufman, Jean-Marc
Gooren, Louis
Language :
English
Title :
Influence of exogenous oestrogen or (anti-) androgen administration on soluble transferrin receptor in human plasma.
Publication date :
2005
Journal title :
Journal of Endocrinology
ISSN :
0022-0795
eISSN :
1479-6805
Publisher :
Society for Endocrinology, Bristol, United Kingdom
Beguin Y 2003 Soluble transferrin receptor for the evaluation of erythropoiesis and iron status. Clinica Chimica Acta 329 9-22.
Bhasin S, Woodhouse L, Casaburi R, Singh AB, Bhasin D, Berman N, Chen X, Yarasheski KE, Magliano L, Dzekov C et al. 2001 Testosterone dose-response relationships in healthy young men. American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism 281 172-181.
Chetkowski RJ, Meldrum DR, Steingold KA, Randle D, Lu JK, Eggena P, Hershman JM, Alkjaersig NK, Fletcher AP & Judd HL 1986 Biologic effects of transdermal estrachol. New England Journal of Medicine 314 1615-1620.
Claustres M & Sultan C 1988 Androgen and erythropoiesis: evidence for an androgen receptor in erythroblasts from human bone marrow cultures. Hormone Research 29 17-22.
De Lignieres B, Basdevant A, Thomas G, Thalabard JC, Mercier-Bodard C, Conard J, Guyene, TT, Mairon N, Corvol P & Guy-Grand B 1986 Biological effects of estradiol-17β in postmenopausal women: oral versus percutaneous administration. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 62 536-541.
Dickerman RD, Pertusi R, Zachariah NY & Schaller F 1998 Androgen-induced erythrocytosis. American Journal of Hematology 59 263-264.
Dickerman RD, Pertusi R, Miller J & Zachariah NY 1999 Androgen-induced erythrocytosis: is it erythropoietin? American Journal of Hematology 61 154-155.
Giltay EJ, Gooren LJG, Emeis JJ, Kooistra T & Stehouwer CDA 2000 Oral, but not transdermal, administration of estrogens lowers tissue-type plasminogen activator levels in humans without affecting endothelial synthesis. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 20 1396-1403.
Hajjar RR, Kaiser FE & Morley JE 1997 Outcomes of long-term testosterone replacement in older hypogonadal males: a retrospective analysis. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 82 3793-3796.
Ho K, O'Sullivan A, Wolthers T & Leung K 2003 Metabolic effects of oestrogens: impact of the route of administration. Annals of Endocrinology and Metabolism 64 170-177.
Jockenhovel F, Vogel E, Reinhardt W & Reinwein D 1997 Effects of various modes of androgen substitution therapy on erythropoiesis. European Journal of Medical Research 2 293-298.
Krabbe S, Christensen T, Worm J & Christiansen C 1978 Relationship between hemoglobin and serum testosterone in normal children and adolescents and in boys with delayed puberty. Acta Paediatrica Scandinavica 67 655-658.
Krauss DJ, Taub HA, Lantinga LJ, Dunsky MH & Kelly CM 1991 Risks of blood volume changes in hypogonadal men treated with testosterone enanthate for erectile impotence. Journal of Urology 146 1566-1570.
Lissett CA & Shalet SM 2003 The impact of dose and route of estrogen administration on the somatotropic axis in normal women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 88 4668-4672.
Miller ME, Chandra M & Garcia JF 1985 Clinical applications of measurement of serum immunoreactive levels of erythropoietin. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 59 375-381.
Mooradian AD, Morley JE & Korenman SG 1987 Biological actions of androgens. Endocrine Reviews 8 1-28.
Morris FK, Loy VE, Strutz KM, Schlosser LL & Shilling RF 1956 Hemoglobin concentrations as determined by a methemoglobin method. American Journal of Clinical Pathology 26 1450-1455.
Piedras J, Hernández G & López-Karpovitch X 1998 Effect of androgen therapy and anemia on serum erythropoietin levels in patients with aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. American Journal of Hematology 57 113-118.
R'Zik S & Beguin Y 2001 Serum soluble transferrin receptor concentration is an accurate estimate of the mass of tissue receptors. Experimental Hematology 29 677-685.
Shahidi NT 1973 Androgens and erythropoiesis. New England Journal of Medicine 289 72-80.
Snyder PJ, Peachey H, Berlin JA, Hannoush P, Haddad G, Dlewati A, Santanna J, Loh L, Lenrow DA, Folmes JH et al. 2000 Effects of testosterone replacement in hypogonadal men. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 85 2670-2677.
Tenover JS 1992 Effects of testosterone supplementation in aging male. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 75 1092-1098.
Van Kesteren P, Lips P, Deville W, Popp-Snijders C, Asscheman H, Megens J & Gooren L 1996 The effect of one-year cross-sex hormonal treatment on bone metabolism and serum insulin-like growth factor-1 in transsexuals. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 81 2227-2232.
Walker PA, Berger JC, Green R, Laub DR, Reynolds CL & Wollman L 1985 Standards of care: the hormonal and surgical sex reassignment of gender dysphoric persons. Archives of Sexual Behavior 14 79-90.
Weber JP, Walsh PC, Peters CA & Spivak JL 1991 Eftect of reversible androgen deprivation on haemoglobin and serum immunoreactive erythropoietin in men. American Journal of Hematology 36 190-194.
