Cited by 138Mitochondrial Function and PathologyAlzheimer's disease research and treatmentsDementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Sex-associated differences in mitochondrial function in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and brain

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Silaidos, C., Pilatus, U., Grewal, R., Matura, S., Lienerth, B., Pantel, J., Eckert, G. P.·2018·Biology of Sex Differences

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, and it affects more women than men. Mitochondrial dysfunction (MD) plays a key role in AD, and it is detectable at an early stage of the degenerative process in peripheral tissues, such as peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs). However, whether these changes are also reflected in cerebral energy metabolism and whether sex-specific differences in mitochondrial function occur are not clear. Therefore, we estimated the correlation between mitochondrial function in PBMCs and brain energy metabolites and examined sex-specific differences in healthy participants to elucidate these issues. METHODS: H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). RESULTS: We detected sex-associated differences in mitochondrial function. Mitochondrial complexes I, I+II, and IV and uncoupled respiration and electron transport system (ETS) capacity in PBMCs isolated from blood samples of females were significantly (p < 0.05; p < 0.01) higher compared to males. ATP levels in the PBMCs of female participants were approximately 10% higher compared to males. Citrate synthase (CS) activity, a marker of mitochondrial content, was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in females compared to males. Sex-associated differences were also found for brain metabolites. The N-acetylaspartate (NAA) concentration was significantly higher in female participants compared to males in targeted regions. This difference was observed in white matter (WM) and an area with a high percentage (> 50%) of gray matter (GM) (p < 0.05; p < 0.01). The effect sizes indicated a strong influence of sex on these parameters. Sex-associated differences were found in PBMCs and brain, but the determined parameters were not significantly correlated. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed sex-associated differences in mitochondrial function in healthy participants. The underlying mechanisms must be elucidated in more detail, but our study suggests that mitochondrial function in PBMCs is a feasible surrogate marker to detect differences in mitochondrial function and energy metabolism in humans and it underscores the necessity of sex-specific approaches in therapies that target mitochondrial dysfunction.

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  • Important sex differences exist in mitochondrial function, substrate utilization, insulin sensitivity, immune responses, muscle morphology and body composition, iron metabolism, thermoregulation, hydration, appetite control, and energy availability and endocrine function.

    “important sex differences exist in mitochondrial function [14–16], substrate utilization, and insulin sensitivity [17–24], immune responses [25–28], muscle morphology and body composition [29–32], iron metabolism [33–40], thermoregulation [41–44], hydration [45,46]{Sims, 2008 #55, [47–53], appetite control [54–59], and energy availability and endocrine function [60–65].”
  • Female skeletal muscle has a greater abundance of the fatty acid transporter CD36 than male skeletal muscle, a sex difference that results in greater membrane translocation of CD36 during muscle contraction and helps explain heightened lipid metabolism in females compared to males during exercise.

    “Miotto and colleagues [14] demonstrated that female skeletal muscle has a greater abundance of the fatty acid transporter CD36, a sex difference that results in a greater membrane translocation of the CD36 protein during muscle contraction that helps to explain the heightened rates of lipid metabolism, which occur in females when compared to males during exercise [160,161].”

    From International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutritional concerns of the female athlete (2023) · cites this paper as [14]

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Authors
Silaidos, C., Pilatus, U., Grewal, R., Matura, S., Lienerth, B., Pantel, J., & Eckert, G. P.
Affiliations
  • Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (DE)
  • Goethe University Frankfurt (DE)
Corresponding author
Eckert, G. P.
Venue
Biology of Sex Differences
Published
2018-07-25
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
34-34
ISSN
2042-6410 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2884114748
Cited by
137
References
69
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 1
FWCI
3.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biology of Sex Differences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • University writing server of the Justus Liebig University Giessen (Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Publication Server of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (Goethe University Frankfurt) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Keywords
sex differences, mitochondrial function, mitochondrial dysfunction, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, brain energy metabolism, Alzheimer's disease, mitochondrial protein complexes, uncoupled respiration, electron transport chain, ATP, citrate synthase, N-acetylaspartate, white matter, gray matter, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, surrogate markers
MeSH terms
Adenosine Triphosphate, Adult, Aspartic Acid, Brain, Citrate (si)-Synthase, Female, Humans, Leukocytes, Mononuclear, Male, Mitochondria, Sex Characteristics, Cell Respiration, Young Adult

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