Androgen signaling via sympathetic neurons regulates allergic pulmonary inflammation.

Authors

Xiaofan Tu, Hongjie Chen, Xiaoran Ma, Chantal Donovan, Jing Yang

Published in

Science immunology. Volume 11. Issue 122. Pages eaed0186. Aug 21, 2026. Epub Aug 21, 2026.

Abstract

Sex differences in the rates of asthma onset and remission suggest that sex hormones may play an important role in the pathogenic mechanism underlying certain forms of asthma. Here, we demonstrate that increased endogenous androgen production in male mice can mitigate pulmonary type 2 inflammation after repeated allergen exposures during early life. Building on previous work showing that immune cells can respond to androgen signaling, we report that androgens also promote pulmonary sympathetic innervations, which can dampen type 2 inflammation via the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Ablation of the androgen signal in sympathetic neurons is sufficient to disturb the establishment of sympathetic structures in the lungs of male mice, thereby amplifying type 2 inflammatory responses to allergens. Thus, an endocrine-neuroimmune axis contributes to the sexual dimorphism of allergic asthma during development.

PMID:
42627933
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Aug 2026.

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