Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Modeling Multiple Sclerosis in the Two Sexes: MOG35-55-Induced Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Published on: October 13, 2023
Sex-dependent bioactive lipid mediator profiles in multiple sclerosis
Wing Hee Fung1,2, Serhii Chornyi2, Menno M Schoonheim3
1MS Center Amsterdam, Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Background:
Pathophysiological drivers of sex differences in multiple sclerosis (MS) remain unclear. Potential candidates include bioactive lipid mediators (LMs), which are pivotal regulators of neuro-inflammatory responses.
Objective:
To investigate sex-dependent LM differences in MS.
Methods:
Plasma lipids were measured using targeted HPLC-MS/MS in a birth-year MS cohort (N = 410; n = 285 MS, n = 169 RRMS, n = 80 SPMS and n = 36 PPMS). Lipid profiles were compared between sexes and correlated with disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)), neuroaxonal damage (neurofilament light, NfL), whole brain volume (WBV) and T2 lesion volume (LV).
Results:
In healthy controls, 9-HOTrE levels were higher in women than men. In individuals with MS, women had higher 9-HOTrE, 18-HEPE and 9-HODE levels than men, while men had higher 15-HEPE, 17-HDHA and 11,12-DiHET levels than women. Among these LMs, increased 11,12-DiHET levels were associated with higher EDSS and NfL levels, while higher levels of the remaining LMs, such as 9-HOTrE, were associated with lower EDSS and lower LV.
Conclusion:
These findings provide insights into potential sex-dependent lipid-mediated pathophysiological mechanisms in MS patients. Our findings suggest that certain LMs, such as 9-HOTrE, may display neuroprotective effects in MS.
