THE INFLUENCE OF OVARIAN HORMONES ON THE GRANULOMATOUS INFLAMMATORY PROCESS IN THE RAT LUNG

This study was initiated to clarify the relationship between ovarian h ormones and the granulomatous inflammatory process in the lung. To ass ess whether ovarian dysfunction influences the granulomatous inflammat ory process, we compared immunological alterations in ovariectomized r ats and in sham-operated rats. After a heat-killed, bacilli Calmette-G uerin (BCG)-elicited granulomatous reaction, the lung-body weight rati os, the number of lymphocytes and activated T-cells, and the interfero n-gamma levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from the ovariectom ized rats were significantly higher than those of the sham-operated ra ts. Moreover, exogenous ovarian steroids supplemented in vivo suppress ed not only the granulomatous inflammatory process in the lungs, but a lso the parameters measured in the bronchoalveolar fluid. These result s indicate that ovarian dysfunction may adversely affect the formation of granulomas in the lung.