Mechanism of Salutary Effects of Finasteride on Post-Traumatic Immune/Inflammatory Response
November 2007
in “
Annals of Surgery
”
TLDR Finasteride reduces inflammation and improves immune response after trauma by altering hormone levels.
This study investigated the effects of finasteride, a drug used to treat hair loss, on the immune response after trauma-hemorrhage in rats. The results showed that pretreatment with finasteride prevented the production of certain cytokines and decreased lung inflammation. Finasteride also decreased levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and increased levels of estrogen, suggesting that the salutary effects of finasteride were mediated by increased estrogen concentration. The study suggests that modulation of sex hormone levels could be useful in developing new therapeutic strategies for patients with multiple injuries. However, it remains unknown whether treatment with finasteride after trauma-hemorrhage would have any salutary effects on immune responses.