Sex determines the natural killer cell-mediated immunity against pancreatic cancer - PubMed
5 hours ago
- #Pancreatic cancer
- #NK cells
- #Sex differences
- Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is more prevalent and has a poorer prognosis in male patients.
- Female-derived NK cells show superior cytotoxic activity and immune activation compared to male-derived NK cells in vitro.
- In vivo, female mice exhibit enhanced NK cell function and distinct tumor microenvironment characteristics that support stronger NK cell activity.
- Host sex significantly influences the composition and architecture of the tumor microenvironment, even when the same cell line is used in both sexes.
- Sex differences in NK cell-mediated immunity impact tumor control differently in male and female PDAC hosts.
- The study highlights the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in pancreatic cancer therapy research.