Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2022 Sep 1;323(3):E281-E289. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00058.2022. Epub 2022 Jul 6.
Chronic stress is a significant risk factor for negative health outcomes. Furthermore, imbalance of autonomic nervous system control leads to dysregulation of physiological responses to stress and contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic and psychiatric disorders. However, research on autonomic stress responses has historically focused on males, despite evidence that females are disproportionality affected by stress-related disorders. Accordingly, this mini-review focuses on the influence of biological sex on autonomic responses to stress in humans and rodent models. The reviewed literature points to sex differences in the consequences of chronic stress, including cardiovascular and metabolic disease. We also explore basic rodent studies of sex-specific autonomic responses to stress with a focus on sex hormones and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation of cardiovascular and metabolic physiology. Ultimately, emerging evidence of sex differences in autonomic-endocrine integration highlights the importance of sex-specific studies to understand and treat cardiometabolic dysfunction.
慢性应激是负面健康结果的一个重要风险因素。此外，自主神经系统控制的失衡导致对压力的生理反应失调，导致心脏代谢和精神障碍的发病机制。然而，自主应激反应的研究历史上集中在男性身上，尽管有证据表明女性不成比例地受到与压力相关的疾病的影响。因此，本综述重点关注生物性别对人类和啮齿动物模型应激自主反应的影响。综述文献指出，慢性应激的后果存在性别差异，包括心血管和代谢疾病。我们还探讨了关于应激时自主反应的特定于性别的基础啮齿动物研究，重点是性激素以及下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴对心血管和代谢生理学的调节。最终，自主神经-内分泌整合中性别差异的新证据强调了进行特定于性别的研究对于理解和治疗心脏代谢功能障碍的重要性。
