Monocyte-derived IL-10 drives sex differences in pain duration - PubMed
2 days ago
- #sex differences
- #IL-10 monocytes
- #pain resolution
- Women experience longer-lasting pain than men, indicating delayed pain resolution.
- Interleukin-10+ (IL-10+) monocytes resolve inflammatory pain by signaling to IL-10R1+ sensory neurons in mice.
- Male mice showed faster pain resolution than females, linked to higher numbers of IL-10+ monocytes.
- Pain resolution was impaired in both sexes when Il10 was deleted from monocytes or Il10ra from sensory neurons.
- Androgen signaling promoted IL-10 production by monocytes, contributing to sex differences in IL-10+ monocyte abundance.
- Enhancing IL-10+ monocytes with resolvin D1 accelerated pain resolution in both sexes.
- In humans, pain resolved faster in men than women after traumatic injury, correlating with higher circulating monocytes and IL-10 levels in men.
- The study identifies peripheral IL-10+ monocytes as key in sex-specific pain resolution and suggests immune mechanisms to prevent chronic pain.