Androgen Signaling in Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells Drives Sex Differences in Helicobacter-Induced Gastric Inflammation and Atrophy
Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. Men are disproportionately affected by gastric cancer, which ranks as the fourth most common cancer in men compared to eighth in women worldwide. Chronic inflammation driven by Helicobacter pylori infection remains the leading gastric cancer risk factor. Emerging evidence suggests that sex hormones modulate immune responses, contributing to sex differences in infection outcomes and cancer susceptibility. This study investigates how androgens influence the gastric inflammatory response to Helicobacter infection and contribute to sex disparities in disease progression. Overall design: Male and female C57BL/6 mice were colonized with Helicobacter felis to investigate sex differences in gastric inflammation. Tissue from the gastric corpus was collected two months post-infection.