Figure 4.

Sex hormones and sex hormone receptor expression in SARS-CoV-2-infected lungs as well as lung macrophages of hamsters

(A, F, K, and P) Testosterone (A and K) and estradiol (F and P) were measured at the indicated time points in SARS-CoV-2-infected or control-treated (PBS, Poly(I:C)) male (A and F) and female (K and P) hamsters (n = 5; day 3 p.i., n = 5–10).

(B, C, G, H, L, M, Q, and R) Androgen receptor (AR) (B and L), zinc transporter 9 (ZIP-9) (C and M), estrogen receptor α (ESR-α) (G and Q), and estrogen receptor β (ESR-β) (H and R) mRNA expression in the lungs of SARS-CoV-2-infected and control-treated (PBS, Poly(I:C)) male (B, C, G, H) and female (L, M, Q, R) hamsters at day 3 p.i. (n = 5; Poly(I:C), n = 4–5).

(D, E, I, J, N, O, S, and T) AR (D and N), ZIP-9 (E and O), ESR-α (I and S), and ESR-β (J and T) mRNA expression in lung macrophages isolated from uninfected male (D, E, I, J) and female (N, O, S, T) hamsters (n = 8–11) upon ex vivo PBS or Poly(I:C) treatment.

In (B–E), (G–J), (L–O), and (Q–T), relative hormone receptor mRNA expression values in PBS-treated controls were set to 1. Values are shown as means; error bars are shown as SD. Statistical significance was assessed by one-way ANOVA or paired Student’s t test (∗p ≤ 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01, ∗∗∗p < 0.001).