Sexual Dimorphism in Immune Development and in Response to Nutritional Intervention in Neonatal Piglets (original) (raw)

Sex differences in immune responses

Nature Reviews Immunology, 2016

Males and females differ in their immunological responses to foreign and self-antigens and show distinctions in innate and adaptive immune responses. Certain immunological sex differences are present throughout life, whereas others are only apparent after puberty and before reproductive senescence, suggesting that both genes and hormones are involved. Furthermore, early environmental exposures influence the microbiome and have sex-dependent effects on immune function. Importantly, these sex-based immunological differences contribute to variations in the incidence of autoimmune diseases and malignancies, susceptibility to infectious diseases and responses to vaccines in males and females. Here, we discuss these differences and emphasize that sex is a biological variable that should be considered in immunological studies.

Sexual Dimorphism in Innate Immune Responses to Infectious Organisms

Immunologic Research, 2006

Gender has long been known to be a contributory factor in the incidence and progression of disorders associated with immune system dysregulation. More recently, evidence has accumulated that gender may also play an important role in infectious disease susceptibility. In general, females generate more robust and potentially protective humoral and cell-mediated immune responses following antigenic challenge than their male counterparts. In contrast, males have frequently been observed to mount more aggressive and damaging inflammatory immune responses to microbial stimuli. In this article we review the evidence for sexual dimorphism in innate immune responses to infectious organisms and describe our recent studies that may provide a mechanism underlying gender-based differences in conditions such as bacterial sepsis.

Sexual dimorphism in innate immunity

2002

Objective To establish whether variation in innate immunity, as measured by the level of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated whole-blood culture, is related to sex or HLA. Methods Normal volunteers (72 women, 159 men) completed questionnaires and donated peripheral blood specimens. Blood samples were exposed to LPS in a 4-hour in vitro culture, and supernatants were then tested by sandwich-type immunoassay measuring TNF levels.

Sex differences matter in the gut: effect on mucosal immune activation and inflammation

Biology of sex differences, 2013

Women and men have diverse responses to many infectious diseases. These differences are amplified following menopause. However, despite extensive information regarding the effects of sex hormones on immune cells, our knowledge is limited regarding the effects of sex and gender on the function of the mucosal immune system. Sex differences also manifest in the prevalence of gut associated inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, including Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and Celiac disease. It is thus hypothesized that a baseline sex-associated difference in immune activation may predispose women to inflammation-associated disease. Peripheral blood samples and small intestinal biopsies were obtained from 34 healthy men and women. Immunophenotypic analysis of isolated lymphocytes was performed by flow cytometry. Oligonucleotide analysis was used to study the transcriptional profile in the gut mucosal microenvironment while real-time PCR analysis was utilized to identify differenti...

Immune response and autoimmune diseases: a matter of sex

2019

Immune response differs between women and men at many levels. In general, females mount stronger innate and adaptive immune responses in comparison to males. In particular, women show more effective phagocytosis and antigen presentation, stronger production of inflammatory cytokines, higher absolute number of CD4+ T cells, higher levels of circulating antibodies, in comparison to men. Genetic, epigenetic, hormonal and environmental factors contribute to sex differences in immune response. The strong immune response in women, on one hand, appears to be beneficial, leading to the reduction of pathogen load and accelerating pathogen clearance, but, on the other hand, it can be detrimental by causing autoimmune or inflammatory diseases. Accordingly, most autoimmune diseases are more prevalent in women than in men and symptoms, disease course and response to therapy may also differ between males and females. In this review, we discuss possible mechanisms for sex-specific differences in a...

Gender Difference in the Non-Specific and Specific Immune Response in Humans

American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 2004

PROBLEM: The purpose of this present ex vivo study is to get insight in the sex differences of the basic non-specific and specific immune response. METHOD OF STUDY: Intracellular types 1 and 2 cytokine production by stimulated male and female lymphocytes and monocytes in a whole blood preparation was measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Increased percentage interleukin (IL)-12, IL-1b and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a producing monocytes and decreased percentage IL-2 producing lymphocytes, i.e. type 1 cytokine, were found in men as compared with women. CONCLUSION: These results suggest a gender difference in the balance between the specific and non-specific immune response, i.e. a more profound and higher state of excitation of the non-specific immune response and relative suppression of the cellular immune response of the specific immune system in men as compared with women.

Biological sex influences antibody responses to routine vaccinations in the first year of life

Acta Paediatrica

Antibodies to primary course of vaccines ending at 6 months of age measured at 7 months of age Antibodies to primary course of vaccines ending at 6 months of age measured at 13 months of age Vaccine antigen Protective correlate Vaginal delivery (n=56) Caesarean section (n=35) Difference % (95% CI) Two-sided p-value Vaginal delivery (n=192) Caesarean section (n=115) Difference % (95% CI) Two-sided p-value % (n); (95% CI) % (n); (95% CI) % (n); (95% CI) % (n); (95% CI) 1 0.01 IU/mL at 13 months of age 2 includes only participants who have not had Hib-MenC CI = confidence interval, Hib = H. influenzae type b, MenC = meningococcus C, Pn = pneumococccal serotype, PT = pertussis toxin Supplementary data Table S1b GMCs and GMRs at 7 and 13 months of age in infants born vaginally or by Caesarean section 1 IU/ml 2 µg/ml 3 includes only participants who have not had Hib-MenC BCG = Bacille Calmette-Guérin, CI = confidence interval, GMC = geometric mean antibody concentration, GMR = geometric mean antibody ratio, FHA = filamentous haemagglutinin, Hib = H. influenzae type b, MMR = measles-mumps-rubella, MenC = meningococcus C, Pn = pneumococcocal serotype, PRN = pertactin, PT = pertussis toxin *adjusted for maternal dTpa (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis) and trivalent influenza vaccine during pregnancy, gestational age, sex, BCG vaccination status, age at first DTPa-HepB-IPV-Hib / PCV13 vaccination, age at sampling and time between vaccination and sampling using multiple linear regression **adjusted for maternal dTpa (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis) and trivalent influenza vaccine during pregnancy, gestational age, sex, BCG and MMR vaccination status, age at first DTPa-HepB-IPV-Hib / PCV13 vaccination, age at sampling and time between vaccination and sampling using multiple linear regression Antibodies to primary course of vaccines ending at 6 months of age measured at 7 months of age Antibodies to primary course of vaccines ending at 6 months of age measured at 13 months of age Vaccine antigen Vaginal delivery (n=56) Caesarean section (n=35) Unadjusted GMR (95% CI) Twosided pvalue Adjusted* GMR (95% CI) Twosided pvalue Vaginal delivery (n=192) Caesarean section (n=115) Unadjusted GMR (95% CI) Twosided Adjusted** GMR (95% CI) Twosided GMC (95% CI) GMC (95% CI) GMC (95% CI) GMC (95% CI) pvalue pvalue Diphtheria 1 0.36 (0.29, 0.45) 0.46 (0.36, 0.57) 0.79 (0.57, 1.10) 0.17 0.89 (0.65, 1.23) measles-mumps-rubella, MenC = meningococcus C, Pn = pneumococccal serotype, PRN = pertactin, PT = pertussis toxin *adjusted for maternal dTpa (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis) and trivalent influenza vaccine during pregnancy, gestational age, sex, BCG vaccination status, age at first DTPa-HepB-IPV-Hib / PCV13 vaccination, age at sampling and time between vaccination and sampling using multiple linear regression **adjusted for maternal dTpa (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis) and trivalent influenza vaccine during pregnancy, gestational age, sex, BCG and MMR vaccination status, age at first DTPa-HepB-IPV-Hib / PCV13 vaccination, age at sampling and time between vaccination and sampling using multiple linear regression measles-mumps-rubella, MenC = meningococcus C, Pn = pneumococccal serotype, PRN = pertactin, PT = pertussis toxin *adjusted for maternal dTpa (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis) and trivalent influenza vaccine during pregnancy, gestational age, sex, BCG vaccination status, age at first DTPa-HepB-IPV-Hib / PCV13 vaccination, age at sampling and time between vaccination and sampling using multiple linear regression **adjusted for maternal dTpa (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis) and trivalent influenza vaccine during pregnancy, gestational age, sex, BCG and MMR vaccination status, age at first DTPa-HepB-IPV-Hib / PCV13 vaccination, age at sampling and time between vaccination and sampling using multiple linear regression

The Impact of Gut Microbiota on Gender-Specific Differences in Immunity

Frontiers in immunology, 2017

Males and females are known to have gender-specific differences in their immune system and gut microbiota composition. Whether these differences in gut microbiota composition are a cause or consequence of differences in the immune system is not known. To investigate this issue, gut microbiota from conventional males or females was transferred to germ-free (GF) animals of the same or opposing gender. We demonstrate that microbiota-independent gender differences in immunity are already present in GF mice. In particular, type I interferon signaling was enhanced in the intestine of GF females. Presumably, due to these immune differences bacterial groups, such as Alistipes, Rikenella, and Porphyromonadaceae, known to expand in the absence of innate immune defense mechanism were overrepresented in the male microbiota. The presence of these bacterial groups was associated with induction of weight loss, inflammation, and DNA damage upon transfer of the male microbiota to female GF recipient...