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Researchers look to exploit females' natural resistance to infection

Date:
October 15, 2014
Source:
eLife
Summary:
Researchers have linked increased resistance to bacterial pneumonia in female mice to an enzyme activated by the female sex hormone estrogen. An international team of scientists has shown that increased resistance to bacterial pneumonia in female mice is linked to the enzyme nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3). They also show that this enzyme is ultimately activated by the release of the female sex hormone estrogen.
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Researchers have linked increased resistance to bacterial pneumonia in female mice to an enzyme activated by the female sex hormone estrogen.

Females are naturally more resistant to respiratory infections than males. Now, an international team of scientists has shown that increased resistance to bacterial pneumonia in female mice is linked to the enzyme nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3). They also show that this enzyme is ultimately activated by the release of the female sex hormone estrogen.

The team, lead by Professor Lester Kobzik at the Harvard University School of Public Health, introduced Streptococcus pneumoniae into the lungs of mice to mimic the inhalation of bacteria that occurs naturally as we breathe. Female mice and male mice that had been treated with estrogen were able to clear the bacteria from their lungs more rapidly than normal male mice. Female lung host defense cells were also better at killing this and other bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) when tested in vitro.

The scientists then took another set of both male and female mice and deleted the gene responsible for the production of NOS3. They found that deleting this gene meant that the female mice were no longer more resistant to infection. The team hope that, in the future, this knowledge could be used to enhance resistance to common and serious lung infections.

"Ultimately, this work could be especially useful in reducing risk of secondary bacterial pneumonias during seasonal or pandemic influenza," said Professor Lester Kobzik, the senior author. "We were quite pleased that the work led us to NOS3-targeting drugs that are already available and that can indeed improve resistance to pneumonia in our mouse model."


Story Source:

Materials provided by eLife. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Zhiping Yang, Yuh-Chin T Huang, Henry Koziel, Rini de Crom, Hartmut Ruetten, Paulus Wohlfart, Reimar W Thomsen, Johnny Kahlert, Henrik Toft Sørensen, Szczepan Jozefowski, Amy Colby, Lester Kobzik. Female resistance to pneumonia identifies lung macrophage nitric oxide Synthase-3 as a therapeutic target. eLife, 2014; 3 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.03711

Cite This Page:

eLife. "Researchers look to exploit females' natural resistance to infection." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 October 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141015112319.htm>.
eLife. (2014, October 15). Researchers look to exploit females' natural resistance to infection. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141015112319.htm
eLife. "Researchers look to exploit females' natural resistance to infection." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141015112319.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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