Sex Differences in Airway Remodeling and Inflammation: Clinical and Biological Factors

Abstract

Asthma is characterized by an increase in the contraction and inflammation of airway muscles, resulting in airflow obstruction. The prevalence of asthma is lower in females than in males until the start of puberty, and higher in adult women than men. This sex disparity and switch at the onset of puberty has been an object of debate among many researchers. Hence, in this review, we have summarized these observations to pinpoint areas needing more research work and to provide better sex-specific diagnosis and management of asthma. While some researchers have attributed it to the anatomical and physiological differences in the male and female respiratory systems, the influences of hormonal interplay after puberty have also been stressed. Other hormones such as leptin have been linked to the sex differences in asthma in both obese and non-obese patients. Recently, many scientists have also demonstrated the influence of the sex-specific genomic framework as a key player, and others have linked it to environmental, social lifestyle, and occupational exposures. The majority of studies concluded that adult men are less susceptible to developing asthma than women and that women display more severe forms of the disease. Therefore, the understanding of the roles played by sex- and gender-specific factors, and the biological mechanisms involved will help develop novel and more accurate diagnostic and therapeutic plans for sex-specific asthma management.

Short‐term effects of air pollution on hospitalization of children with acute upper respiratory infections: A time series analysis in Lanzhou, China

“…26 Moreover, gender differences in sex hormone levels and respiratory control during development exist, which further contribute to the greater susceptibility of boys to respiratory diseases compared to girls. 27,28 Our study found no significant effect of PM 10 on AURI hospitalization in children across all age groups in the age-stratified analysis. However, PM 2.5 exhibited a significant effect on AURI hospitalization in children of all age groups, with the highest impact observed in children aged 0-1 years.…”

“…Boys tend to spend more time in outdoor activities compared to girls, which increases their susceptibility to exposure and subsequent impacts of air pollutants 26 . Moreover, gender differences in sex hormone levels and respiratory control during development exist, which further contribute to the greater susceptibility of boys to respiratory diseases compared to girls 27,28 …”

Interleukin-10-alveolar macrophage cell membrane-coated nanoparticles alleviate airway inflammation and regulate Th17/regulatory T cell balance in a mouse model

“…In this study, we only used female mice for all the indicated experiments. This difference may be mainly due to the differences in sex hormones and innate immune types, which result in a stronger Th2-type inflammation in females, rather than different types of immune responses (44). In our study, female mice, which are known to be more prone to developing allergic airway inflammation, were chosen as the subjects for this research.…”

Triple-tyrosine kinase inhibition by BIBF1000 attenuates airway and pulmonary arterial remodeling following chronic allergen challenges in mice

“…Female Balb-c mice (8–10 weeks old) were randomly assigned into three study groups: (1) Control, (2) OVA + vehicle, and (3) OVA + BIBF1000. The reason for choosing female mice is based on the previous studies that female mice experience more airway remodeling compared with male mice [ 21 ], and that adult women are more susceptible to developing asthma than men and that women display more severe forms of the disease [ 22 ]. The study protocol is illustrated in Fig.…”