FEMALES IN PROESTRUS STATE MAINTAIN SPLENIC IMMUNE FUNCTIONS AND TOLERATE SEPSIS BETTER THAN MALES

Objectives: To determine: a) whether the cell-mediated immune response during sepsis differs in females vs, males; and b) whether the surviv al rate in females is different than in males after a septic insult, D esign: A prospective, randomized animal study, Setting: University res earch laboratory, Subjects: Male and female proestrus C3H/HeN mice, in terventions: After anesthesia, male and proestrus female mice underwen t cecal ligation puncture to induce sepsis, The mice were killed at 24 hrs after the onset of sepsis, Measurements and Main Results: Splenoc yte proliferation, as well as splenocyte interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-3 r elease, was determined by bioassay, In additional studies, survival ra te after septic challenge was measured over 10 days, Splenocyte prolif erative capacity and splenocyte IL-2 and IL-3 release were markedly de creased in male, but not in female, septic mice, Furthermore, the surv ival rate of septic female proestrus mice was significantly higher tha n in comparable male mice, Conclusions: These results support the conc ept that the immune response of females differs from males, and that f emales are immunologically better positioned to meet the challenge of sepsis.