A Canadian study shows that the female sex hormone estrogen gives women’s immune systems added bite at fighting off infection. The hormone seems to counter an enzyme which blocks the inflammatory process.
The researchers focused on the enzyme called Caspase-12, which is known to put a brake on the inflammatory process, the body’s first line of defence against harmful invaders such as bacteria and viruses.
They worked on mice that lacked the Caspase-12 gene, and were thus extremely resistant to infection. The human Caspase-12 gene was implanted into a group of male and female mice, but only the males became more prone to infection.
The researchers concluded that estrogen produced by the female mice blocked the expression of the human Caspase-12 gene. They were able to locate the precise place where estrogen binds to the gene in order to block its activity.
Since the experiments were conducted using a human gene, the researchers are confident their work is applicable to humans.
[Source]
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Chapter: Health ::
1 June 2009
