Decoded: Reasons why women are more prone to asthma!

London: A new research has revealed that absence of testosterone in women is the reason why females are two times more likely to develop asthma after puberty.

The study in France also revealed that the testosterone in male suppresses the production of a type of immune cell that triggers allergic asthma and acts as a barrier against them in developing the inflammatory airway condition.

Cyril Seillet at the Physiopathology Centre of Toulouse-Purpan in France said, "Our research shows that high levels of testosterone in males protect them against the development of allergic asthma."

Seillet said, "We identified that testosterone is a potent inhibitor of innate lymphoid cells, a newly-described immune cell that has been associated with the initiation of asthma."

These innate lymphoid cells -- or ILC2s -- `sense` testosterone and respond by halting production of the cells.

In a report published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, Seillet said "Testosterone directly acts on ILC2s by inhibiting their proliferation. So in males, you have less ILC2s in the lungs and this directly correlates with the reduced severity of asthma."

ILC2s are found in the lungs, skin and other organs.

These cells produce inflammatory proteins that can cause lung inflammation and damage in response to common triggers for allergic asthma, such as pollen, dust mites, cigarette smoke and pet hair.

Researchers said that understanding the mechanism that drives the sex differences in allergic asthma could lead to new treatments for the disease.

(With IANS inputs)