Why do girls mature faster than boys, yet men age faster? Why are women more prone to Alzheimer's and men more likely to have stomach cancer?
A team of Chinese researchers has discovered that androgen plays an important role in determining health disparities, providing new approaches to treating sex-based diseases.
The scientific journal Nature published the findings on Wednesday.
Gao Dong and Chen Luonan from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Bai Fan from Peking University's Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, and Yu Chen from Shenzhen Bay Laboratory co-led the study.
Researchers discovered that androgen acts as a nutritionist at the organ level, assisting organs in gaining or losing weight; as an architect at the cellular level, regulating organ structure by altering cell composition; and as a conductor at the molecular level, coordinating the expression of various sex-specific genes.
The discovery provides a significant theoretical basis for creating tailored therapeutics for sex-based disorders by regulating the androgen system.
原载于Shanghai Daily 2024年4月12日
作者：李倩
