Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2025
05:34
Sexual Crosses with the Mucoromycete Phycomyces blakesleeanus
Published on: June 6, 2025
81
Microbial composition, functionality, and stress resilience or susceptibility: unraveling sex-specific patterns
Arax Tanelian1, Bistra Nankova1,2, Mariam Miari3
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA.
Biology of Sex Differences
|February 26, 2024
Summary
Gut microbiome differences influence stress resilience in male and female rats. Sex-specific microbial changes before and after trauma highlight the need for tailored treatments for stress-related disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Microbiology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Women exhibit higher susceptibility to mood disorders post-trauma compared to men.
- Individual resilience to stress varies, influenced by factors including gut microbiota.
- Sex-related disparities in affective disorders and resilience mechanisms remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate sex-specific differences in gut microbial composition, functionality, and metabolites.
- Examine how these factors influence stress susceptibility and resilience in a rat model.
- Understand the role of the gut microbiome in sex differences in stress response.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the single prolonged stress (SPS) model in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats.
- Assessed behavioral responses and categorized rats as SPS-resilient (SPS-R) or SPS-susceptible (SPS-S).
- Analyzed gut microbial composition, functionality, and metabolites from stool, cecum, and brain tissues.
Main Results:
- Males showed pre-existing sympathoadrenal axis alterations; females showed altered claudin-5 expression post-SPS.
- Alpha diversity was consistently lower in males; beta diversity revealed sex-specific separations in microbial communities.
- Sex-specific alterations in microbial genera (e.g., Lactobacillus), functionality, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were observed.
Conclusions:
- Distinct pre- and post-trauma gut microbial profiles are associated with stress resilience in a sex-specific manner.
- Findings underscore the necessity of sex-specific therapeutic strategies for stress-related disorders.
- SPS induced divergent behavioral responses, with resilient females showing less anxiety and more social interaction than resilient males.
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