In Immunity Contest, Women Rule

So now it seems that men and women are not created equal. When it comes to immunity, women have a natural advantage, thanks to a recently discovered power of estrogen. At McGill University, researchers measured the immune systems of male and female mice that were genetically altered to be extremely resistant to infection. When a gene that helps block the inflammatory process was implanted in both male and female mice, only the males became more prone to infection. Yes, it’s complicated, but the McGill researchers came away persuaded that estrogen naturally produced in women
blocks the production of an enzyme called Caspase-12, which itself
blocks the inflammatory process.
Why do we care? A McGill University press release points out that the finding could open the door to
new therapeutic applications that reinforce the immune system, but one question remains: will men be amenable to being
treated with an exclusively female hormone? Read more from McGill University’s news office.