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ISSN 2522-9028 (Print)
ISSN 2522-9036 (Online)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/fz

Fiziologichnyi Zhurnal

(English title: Physiological Journal)

is a scientific journal issued by the

Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Editor-in-chief: V.F. Sagach

The journal was founded in 1955 as
1955 – 1977 "Fiziolohichnyi zhurnal" (ISSN 0015 – 3311)
1978 – 1993 "Fiziologicheskii zhurnal" (ISSN 0201 – 8489)
1994 – 2016 "Fiziolohichnyi zhurnal" (ISSN 0201 – 8489)
2017 – "Fiziolohichnyi zhurnal" (ISSN 2522-9028)

Fiziol. Zh. 2025; 71(5): 65-73


IMMUNOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES IN NONSPECIFIC ULCERATIVE COLITIS DEPENDING ON GENDER

O. Yaremko1, R. Peleno1, I. Mazur1, R. Mylostyvyi2, D. Mylostiva3, A. Babchenko3

  1. Stepan Gzhytskyi National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies Lviv, Ukraine
  2. Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University, Ukraine
  3. Dnipropetrovsk Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Ukraine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/fz71.05.065


Abstract

The study of the mechanisms underlying ulcerative colitis (UC) remains a pressing issue. Limited data exist on sex- related differences in immune responses and intestinal damage in UC. This study aimed to investigate the immunological characteristics of UC in relation to sex. Using a model of acute and chronic UC induced by 1% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in rats, sex-specific differences in the subpopulation composition of peripheral blood lymphocytes were examined. In healthy animals, females had a 4.89-fold higher number of CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells compared to males. In chronic UC, females showed a significant decrease in the number of leukocytes, lymphocytes, T-helper cells, and B- lymphocytes by 59.3%, 51.4%, 91.7%, and 79.0%, respectively. In contrast, the number of regulatory T-lymphocytes increased, which may be associated with enhanced thymic differentiation and their migration to sites of inflammation. These findings highlight fundamental sex-based immunological differences in UC and support the need to consider sex when selecting immunomodulatory therapies.

Keywords: inflammation, intestine, immune response, sex differences, lymphocyte subpopulations

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