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PMID: 17194565 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review

An inflammatory review of glucocorticoid actions in the CNS.

Brain, behavior, and immunity ·Vol. 21 ·No. 3 ·2007-03-00 ·Pages 259-72

Sorrells SF, Sapolsky RM

Abstract

In recent years, the classic view that glucocorticoids, the adrenal steroids secreted during stress, are universally anti-inflammatory has been challenged at a variety of levels. It was first observed that under some circumstances, acute GC exposure could have pro-inflammatory effects on the peripheral immune response. More recently, chronic exposure to GCs has been found to have pro-inflammatory effects on the specialized immune response to injury in the central nervous system. Here we review the evidence that in some cases, glucocorticoids can increase pro-inflammatory cell migration, cytokine production, and even transcription factor activity in the brain. We consider how these unexpected effects of glucocorticoids can co-exist with their well-established anti-inflammatory properties, as well as the considerable clinical implications of these findings.

MeSH Terms
Central Nervous System/immunology,metabolism Central Nervous System Diseases/immunology,metabolism Glucocorticoids/immunology,metabolism Humans Inflammation/immunology,metabolism Male Stress, Physiological/immunology,metabolism
Chemicals
Glucocorticoids
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Sorrells Shawn F
Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Gilbert Lab MC 5020, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA. sfs11@stanford.edu
Sapolsky Robert M
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Article Info
Journal
Brain, behavior, and immunity
Abbr.
Brain Behav Immun
ISSN
0889-1591
DOI
10.1016/j.bbi.2006.11.006
Email
sfs11@stanford.edu
Published
2007-03-00
Epub
2006-00-27
Pages
259-72
Language
English
Region
Netherlands
NLM ID
8800478
PMCID
PMC1997278
Subset
IM
Grants
NIA NIH HHS · R01 AG020633 · United States
Corrections
CommentIn
PMID: 17643955
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2006.11.006 PMC Full Text View journal details
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