“During inflammation, cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activate the vascular endothelium to promote leukocyte recruitment into the affected tissues. Leukocytes in the blood first roll along the endothelium and then undergo firm arrest, which depends on adhesive interactions between leukocyte integrins and the endothelial cell surface. The leukocytes then extravasate and migrate to the inflamed site. Ziogas et al. investigated the mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory properties of the steroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). In a mouse model of cremaster muscle inflammation, DHEA inhibited leukocyte adhesion to the endothelium, although it had no direct effects on integrin activation or the abundance of endothelial adhesion molecules. “
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