{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]],"date-time":"2026-10-20T01:10:24Z","timestamp":1792458624244,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,5,29]],"date-time":"2020-05-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1590710400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003196","name":"Ministero della Salute","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["GR-2013-02357830"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GR-2013-02357830"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003196","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012306","name":"Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Trieste","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012306","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: It has been shown that sex affects immunity, including cytokine production. Given that atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease promoted by specific cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1\u03b2, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-\u03b1, we aimed at evaluating whether sex could affect the levels of these proatherogenic cytokines in a group of healthy adults. In this analysis, we also included other cytokines and peptides that have been implicated in atherosclerosis development and progression. Methods: A total of 104 healthy adults were recruited; we measured circulating levels of IL-1\u03b2, IL-6, TNF-\u03b1, angiotensins and angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), as well as osteoprotegerin and receptor activator of nuclear factor \u03baB ligand (RANKL). Results: IL-1\u03b2, IL-6, and TNF-\u03b1 were significantly higher in men as compared to women. They were all associated with testosterone and the testosterone\/estradiol ratio. They remained significantly associated with sex (but not with hormones) after being tested for potential confounders. Conclusions: Sex seems to influence the levels of proatherogenic cytokines. This is consistent not only with sex differences in vulnerability to infections but also with the higher cardiovascular risk exhibited by the male gender as compared to the female gender. Nevertheless, this association is only partly explained by hormone levels.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms21113861","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,2]],"date-time":"2020-06-02T04:09:03Z","timestamp":1591070943000},"page":"3861","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":82,"title":["Sex Differences in Proatherogenic Cytokine Levels"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7429-3075","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stella","family":"Bernardi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical, Surgical, and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"},{"name":"ASUGI Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata di Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital, UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6854-5782","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Barbara","family":"Toffoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34100 Trieste, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0298-718X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Federica","family":"Tonon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical, Surgical, and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Morena","family":"Francica","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical, Surgical, and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elena","family":"Campagnolo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical, Surgical, and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tommaso","family":"Ferretti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical, Surgical, and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Comar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical, Surgical, and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"},{"name":"ASUGI Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata di Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital, UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"},{"name":"Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34100 Trieste, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34100 Trieste, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fabiola","family":"Giudici","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical, Surgical, and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"},{"name":"ASUGI Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata di Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital, UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"},{"name":"Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34100 Trieste, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34100 Trieste, Italy"},{"name":"Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35100 Padova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elisabetta","family":"Stenner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Diagnostics, Azienda USL Toscana Nordovest, 57100 Livorno, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bruno","family":"Fabris","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical, Surgical, and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"},{"name":"ASUGI Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata di Trieste, Cattinara Teaching Hospital, UCO Medicina Clinica, 34100 Trieste, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,5,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"J282","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaut.2011.11.013","article-title":"Sex affects immunity","volume":"38","author":"Pennell","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. 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