Female Sex Hormones Modulate the Function of LPS-treated Macrophages

and toenhance the effects of progesterone on the parameters determined here. Such LPS-as-sociated alterations in the dose–response profile of macrophages to female sexhormones may contribute to gender-related differences in the immune response undernormal and pathological conditions.Key words:Estrogen, hydrogen peroxide,nitric oxide, progesterone, tumornecrosis factorTZU-CHIEH CHAOHSIAO-HSIANG CHAOMIIN-FU CHENDepartment of Surgery, ChangGung University College ofMedicine, and Chang GungMemorial Hospital, Taipei,TaiwanJOHN A. GREAGERDepartment of SurgicalOncology, University of IllinoisCollege of Medicine at Chicago,Chicago, Illinois, USAROBERT J. WALTERDepartment of Surgery, CookCounty Hospital, and theHektoen Institute for MedicalResearch, Chicago, Illinois, USAAddress reprint request toTzu-Chieh Chao, M.D., Ph.D.,Department of Surgery, ChangGung Memorial Hospital, 199Tung Hwa North Road, Taipei,Taiwan.E-mail: ischen01@ms15.hinet.netSubmitted January 15, 2000;accepted May 9, 2000.