Sexually dimorphic actions of glucocorticoids provide a link to inflammatory diseases with gender differences in prevalence.

ABSTRACT: Males and females show differences in the prevalence of many major diseases that have important inflammatory components to their etiology. These gender-specific diseases, which include autoimmune diseases, hepatocellular carcinoma, diabetes, and osteoporosis, are largely considered to reflect the actions of sex hormones on the susceptibility to inflammatory stimuli. However, inflammation reflects a balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory signals, and investigation of gender-specific responses to the latter has been neglected. Glucocorticoids are the primary physiological anti-inflammatory hormones in mammals, and synthetic derivatives of these hormones are prescribed as anti-inflammatory agents, irrespective of patient gender. We explored the possibility that sexually dimorphic actions

SUBMITTER: Duma D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4772900 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature