Figure 9. Sex steroid receptor antagonism attenuated the effects of weekly prednisone.

(A) Circulating levels of testosterone and estrogen were increased in weekly prednisone–treated animals. (B) Expression of the gene encoding the androgen receptor (Ar) was increased in weekly prednisone–treated males, while expression of the gene encoding estrogen receptor α (Esr1) was increased in weekly treated females. (C) C57BL/6J mice were cotreated for 4 weeks with sex steroid inhibitors (males, flutamide; females, fulvestrant). Concomitantly, half of the cohort received weekly prednisone or vehicle. Arrows indicate i.p. injections. (D and E) Weekly prednisone–treated mice had no change in concentrations of ATP (D) and NAD+ (E) compared to vehicle-treated animals. (F) Weekly treated animals had no change in whole-body percentage fat mass when cotreated with sex steroid inhibitors. (G–J) After 4 weeks of weekly prednisone, males cotreated with flutamide had no change in gene expression profiles for sex steroid receptors (G), IGF1 pathway (H), calcium handling (I), or lipid metabolism (J). Females cotreated with fulvestrant had some increased sex steroid receptor (G), IGF1 pathway (H), and lipid metabolism (J) gene expression. Data were analyzed with Mann-Whitney test (A, B, and D–J).