title: Sex differences in acetylcholine-induced sweating responses due to physical training.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study examined sex differences in the sweat gland response to acetylcholine (ACh) in physically trained and untrained male and female subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sweating responses were induced on the forearm and thigh in resting subjects by ACh iontophoresis using a 10% solution at 2 mA for 5 min at 26°C and 50% relative humidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ACh-induced sweating rate (SR) on the forearm and thigh was greater in physically trained male (P < 0.001 for the forearm and thigh, respectively) and female (P = 0.08 for the forearm, P < 0.001 for the thigh) subjects than in untrained subjects of both sexes. The SR was also significantly greater in physically trained males compared to females at both sites (P < 0.001) and in untrained males compared to females on the thigh (P < 0.02) only, although the degree of difference was greater in trained subjects than in untrained subjects. These sex differences can be attributed to the difference in sweat output per gland rather than the number of activated sweat glands.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that physical training enhances the ACh-induced SR in both sexes but that the degree of enhancement is greater in male than in female subjects. The effects of physical training and sex on the SR may be due to changes in peripheral sensitivity to ACh and/or sweat gland size.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Human Performance Research, Osaka International University, 6-21-57 Tohda-cho, Moriguchi, Osaka 570-8555, Japan. inoueyos@oiu.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshimitsu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ichinose-Kuwahara
authors.forename: Chie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Funaki
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tochihara
authors.forename: Narihiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kondo
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007478:Iontophoresis; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013546:Sweating / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D013848:Thigh / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000109:Acetylcholine