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Review
. 2024 Oct 18;13(20):1724.
doi: 10.3390/cells13201724.

Sex Differences in Astrocyte Activity

Elisa Gozlan  1 , Yarden Lewit-Cohen  1 , Dan Frenkel  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Sex Differences in Astrocyte Activity

Elisa Gozlan et al. Cells. .

Abstract

Astrocytes are essential for maintaining brain homeostasis. Alterations in their activity have been associated with various brain pathologies. Sex differences were reported to affect astrocyte development and activity, and even susceptibility to different neurodegenerative diseases. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on the effects of sex on astrocyte activity in health and disease.

Keywords: aging; astrocytes; neurological diseases; senescence; sex.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sexual differences in astrocyte morphology in murine MePD, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. MePD and Hypothalamus: Males contain more in number and more complex astrocytes than females. Hypothalamic male astrocytes are also more differentiated than females. Hippocampus: emales contain more astrocytes, though with smaller processes, and express higher GFAP+ levels than males. Created with BioRender.com.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differences between healthy and senescent astrocytes. Senescent astrocytes undergo cell cycle arrest accompanied by increased senescence markers such as p15, p16, p19, and p21 and increased β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) activity. In addition, they present Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP) by secreting pro-inflammatory molecules (e.g., IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) and reveal higher levels of GFAP. Created with BioRender.com.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparative Profile of the Aging Male and Female Astrocyte. Male astrocytes exhibit higher rates of DNA damage and altered mitochondrial activity, suggesting an increased vulnerability to oxidative stress. In contrast, female astrocytes exhibit increased secretion of pro-inflammatory factors associated with the senescent phenotype (SASP), as well as increased β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity and p16INK4a levels, all classical markers of cellular aging. Increased expression of GFAP suggests greater glial reactivity in females. Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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