Microgenderome: An Important Variable for Developing Therapeutic Strategies?

Abstract

Copyright 2018 by Gundamaraju R. This is an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and reproduce in any medium or format, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited. cc A close association of microbiota in human health continues to emerge. Microbiota has been implicated in autoimmune disorders such as type I diabetes mellitus, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.1 This is pointing out that early-life microbial exposure could be linked to later-life susceptibility to immune-mediated disorders. From the experimental models related to autoimmune disorders, it is known that tissue injury is prevented by alteration in microbiota or in germ-free condition. Therefore, microbial alteration can be beneficial during autoimmune disorders. However, several lines of evidence suggest the role of gender-bias, (regulation of sex-hormones by microbiota) in numerous diseases. This editorial aims to throw light on the novel, emerging triangular relationship between host microbiota, sex hormones (testosterone, progesterone and estrogen) and immune responses cumulatively termed as “Microgenderome”.