ArticleBiology of sex differences2018
Sex-associated differences in mitochondrial function in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and brain.
Article in Biology of sex differences, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
85 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 138 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the acute effects of photobiomodulation therapy on the maximum number of repetitions in resistance exercise in young adults.Lasers in medical science · 2025Pooled it
- Sex-stratified genome-wide meta-analysis identifies novel loci for cognitive decline in older adults.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025Pooled it
- Human studies of mitochondrial biology demonstrate an overall lack of binary sex differences: A multivariate meta-analysis.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review of nutraceutical interventions for mitochondrial dysfunctions in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Journal of translational medicine · 2021Pooled it
- A systematic review of mitochondrial abnormalities in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome/systemic exertion intolerance disease.Journal of translational medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Peri-Operative Kinetics of Plasma Mitochondrial DNA Levels during Living Donor Kidney Transplantation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Mitochondrial membrane potential and delayed graft function following kidney transplantation.American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons · 2019Trial
- Protocol for isolation and cryopreservation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells for high-resolution respirometry.STAR protocols · 2026Article
- Caspase-3 regulates RNA splicing and mitochondrial dynamics in microglia during Parkinson's disease.Cell death & disease · 2026Article
- Mitofusin-2 in ventral striatal D1 neurons regulates effort-based motivation through sex-specific mitochondrial-synaptic reprogramming.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- In Vivo Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Presynaptic Density Reveals Stress-Associated Synaptic Deficits Related to Behavioral and Molecular Alterations in Rats.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial dysfunction in peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC) of individuals with mild cognitive impairment.GeroScience · 2026Observational
- Progression of peripheral blood mononuclear cell mitochondrial function during the early phase of sepsis in intensive care unit patients.Scientific reports · 2026Observational
- Mitochondrial respiration in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy adult population.PloS one · 2026Article
- Unraveling sex differences in age-related hippocampal decline: differential mitochondrial dysfunction, Lonp1-dependent mitochondrial proteostasis and mtROS production in aged C57BL/6 mice.Cell death & disease · 2025Article
- From Elixirs to Geroscience: A Historical and Molecular Perspective on Anti-Aging Medicine.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Sex differences in the blood metabolome of extremely preterm infants: a pilot study on the impact of antibiotic therapy.Biology of sex differences · 2025Article
- Mitochondrial function is impaired in long COVID patients.Annals of medicine · 2025Observational
- Are statin side effects dependent on sex? A narrative review.Przeglad menopauzalny = Menopause review · 2025Review
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, and it affects more women than men. Mitochondrial dysfunction (MD) plays a key role in AD, and it is detectable at an early stage of the degenerative process in peripheral tissues, such as peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs). However, whether these changes are also reflected in cerebral energy metabolism and whether sex-specific differences in mitochondrial function occur are not clear. Therefore, we estimated the correlation between mitochondrial function in PBMCs and brain energy metabolites and examined sex-specific differences in healthy participants to elucidate these issues.
methodsThe current pilot study included 9 male and 15 female healthy adults (mean age 30.8 ± 7.1 years). Respiration and activity of mitochondrial respiratory complexes were measured using a Clarke-electrode (Oxygraph-2k system), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels were determined using a bioluminescence-based assay in isolated PBMCs. Citrate synthase activity as a mitochondrial marker was measured using a photometric assay. Concentrations of brain energy metabolites were quantified in the same individuals using
resultsWe detected sex-associated differences in mitochondrial function. Mitochondrial complexes I, I+II, and IV and uncoupled respiration and electron transport system (ETS) capacity in PBMCs isolated from blood samples of females were significantly (p < 0.05; p < 0.01) higher compared to males. ATP levels in the PBMCs of female participants were approximately 10% higher compared to males. Citrate synthase (CS) activity, a marker of mitochondrial content, was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in females compared to males. Sex-associated differences were also found for brain metabolites. The N-acetylaspartate (NAA) concentration was significantly higher in female participants compared to males in targeted regions. This difference was observed in white matter (WM) and an area with a high percentage (> 50%) of gray matter (GM) (p < 0.05; p < 0.01). The effect sizes indicated a strong influence of sex on these parameters. Sex-associated differences were found in PBMCs and brain, but the determined parameters were not significantly correlated.
conclusionsOur study revealed sex-associated differences in mitochondrial function in healthy participants. The underlying mechanisms must be elucidated in more detail, but our study suggests that mitochondrial function in PBMCs is a feasible surrogate marker to detect differences in mitochondrial function and energy metabolism in humans and it underscores the necessity of sex-specific approaches in therapies that target mitochondrial dysfunction.
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