Intrinsic sex differences
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Motivation
In a previous study, we found sex differences in inflammation and in mitochondrial function, leading to decreased mitochondrial functionality in the heart of healthy men compared to healthy women. In addition, we investigated sex differences in mitochondrial fission and fusion in female and male human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVEC). Treatment of HUVEC with the pro-inflammatory mediator TNF-α significantly increased mitochondrial granularity in men rather than women, which can be explained by an increased pro-inflammatory environment in men.
Aims and Procedure
The project aims to close the missing knowledge gaps about intrinsic sex differences in mitochondrial dysfunction of the endothelial barrier using an atherosclerosis cell culture model. The overall aim of our study is to identify approaches of mitochondrial function and biogenesis in human endothelial cells and monocytes from male and female donors under standard, beneficial (antioxidants) and pathological conditions (induced inflammation).)
