JERUSALEM, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers found differences between female's and male's immune systems, which may explain why women are less ill than men, the Ben Gurion University (BGU) in southern Israel reported Thursday.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, may lead to accurate prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, with personalization and reference to the patient's gender.
Men and women differ in many genetic, physiological, and social traits, but most body systems, except the reproductive system, function quite similarly.
In the study, the BGU researchers used gene expression data from 11 types of immune cells from male and female mice.
Surprisingly, in one of the cell types, called macrophage, significant differences between males and females were found.
The main difference was in genes associated with interferon protein response in females, compared with males. This finding indicates some immune activity in these cells, only in females.
The results suggest that the activity of the female immune system defends faster and more strongly against infectious agents.
While men tend to have infectious diseases more frequently and severely, women's immune response is stronger, and they recover better from injuries and live longer.
On the other hand, this pre-activity also increases the likelihood of an over-reaction that may lead to autoimmune diseases, where immune system failure causes immune cells to attack cells in different body systems.
