Abstract
Treatment of obese strain chickens, either in ovo or after hatching, with testosterone or various testosterone-derived steroid analogs having no or only weak endocrine activities causes significant protection from spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis occurring in these birds. This effect is not correlated with the endocrinological properties of these steroids. This observation and similar results in other models for autoimmunity may present a basis for a more selective therapy in human autoimmune diseases in that hormonal side effects no longer preclude this approach.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Age Factors
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Animals
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Animals, Newborn
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Autoantibodies / analysis
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Body Weight / drug effects
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Bursa of Fabricius / anatomy & histology
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Bursa of Fabricius / drug effects
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Chick Embryo
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Chickens
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Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
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Gonadal Steroid Hormones / pharmacology*
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Longitudinal Studies
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Organ Size / drug effects
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Spleen / anatomy & histology
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Thyroglobulin / immunology
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Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / drug therapy*
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Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / prevention & control*
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Time Factors
Substances
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Autoantibodies
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Gonadal Steroid Hormones
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Thyroglobulin