Sex differences in age-related cardiac and splenic S100A9 and NLRP3 expression

Abstract

Age is an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and is associated with a systemic, low-grade inflammation, so-called inflammaging. We aimed to investigate the impact of age and sex on the inflammatory markers S100A9 and components of the NLRP3 inflammasome at an early stage in the aging process, using mature adult and middle-aged/perimenopausal mice. Given the importance of the cardiosplenic axis in heart failure, the spleen was analyzed in addition to the left ventricle and cardiac fibroblasts. Using immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and gene expression analysis, our study demonstrates a higher inflammatory state of the spleen in perimenopausal vs age-matched males and 3-mo-old female mice, whereas aging is associated with higher left ventricular gene expression of S100A9 and NLRP3 inflammasome components independent of sex. In conclusion, our data indicate that inflammatory signatures in the spleen and left ventricle already differ in middle-aged mice and are partly sex dependent.

Keywords: NLRP3 inflammasome; age; cardiosplenic axis; s100A9; sex.