Estrogen-mediated immunosuppression in autoimmune diseases

Gender affects the susceptibility to many autoimmune diseases. Women have an increased risk of developing diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis compared with men. The female preponderance is believed to depend in part on the influence of sex hormones on the immune system. The mechanism of estrogen-induced immune suppression both in human autoimmune diseases and their experimental animal model counterparts is discussed. In addition, the mechanisms of estrogen and anti-estrogens are discussed in relation to their possible use as future therapeutic anti-inflammatory agents.