Obesity and sex hormones in lung injury

Abstract

There is no general consensus of a positive correlation between high body mass index (BMI) and trauma-induced mortality. Some studies suggest that obese patients are more likely to have a negative outcome from trauma and sepsis because they already constitutively express many of the inflammatory mediators observed in this condition. However, other studies have reported that mortality it is not positively correlated to body mass index (BMI) but it seems to correlate with morbidity. Interestingly, in some studies a negative correlation between mortality and BMI was found, suggesting a protective role of obesity in cases of acute lung injury. Interestingly, despite the evidence showing the influence of sex hormones or obesity on lung injury and ischemic trauma in general, the interaction between these two factors has been poorly investigated. A recent study has shown a correlation between abdominal adipose mass is associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarct in women but not in men. Conversely, other studies have failed to establish a correlation between gender and ischemic stroke among obese patients. In summary, the main experimental aim of this proposal are to investigate the role of female sex hormones in the physiopathology of intestinal l/R in obese mice with or without ovaries (ovariectomized). We will measure inflammatory cell migration and mediator release, platelet migration and platelet mediators release. (AU)