Image 2_Female hormones enhance skin T cell expansion and suppress IFN-γ production.jpg

Introduction<p>Estrogen receptors (ERs) regulate immune function, but their expression across immune cell subsets and hormone responsiveness in human skin are not fully understood.</p>Methods<p>We used 10-color flow cytometry to quantify ER (ERα, ERβ, and GPER1) expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors. We analyzed sex hormone gene expression using public single-cell RNA datasets. Skin immune responses to sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) were assessed in pre- and post-menopausal women, with or without hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Furthermore, we measured the production of mediators in the ER expressing immune cytotoxic cells, specifically T and NK cells, in response to pre- and post-menopausal hormone cocktails.</p>Results<p>ERα was predominantly expressed on the membrane of NK and NKT cells, while ERβ was mainly intracellular and showed low expression across subsets. GPER1 displayed a similar membrane distribution to ERα but at lower expression levels.