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3h ago

Study Finds Immune–Hormone Link Helps Explain Longer Post‑Trauma Pain in Women

Researchers report that testosterone boosts IL-10 production from monocytes, accelerating the shutdown of pain signals in males.

These side-by-side microscope images demonstrate lower IL-10 receptor subunit levels, shown in yellow, in female skin cells (left) than in male cells (right).
She holds her head in her hands and slumps down. Headache. She is troubled. Mental pain, suffering, grief. Loneliness, alienation. Instability. Depression. Trauma. She is a Japanese woman in her seventies.
A new study that offers insight into chronic pain in women could eventually lead to improved treatment options and enhanced clinical understanding

Overview

  • Published Friday in Science Immunology, the peer-reviewed study integrates a 245-patient trauma cohort with parallel mouse experiments.
  • In people recovering from injuries largely caused by car accidents, men reported faster pain resolution over nearly three months and showed higher IL-10 activity in blood tests.
  • Male mice recovered more quickly from inflammatory and surgical pain, with IL-10–producing monocytes markedly more active than in females.
  • Blocking male sex hormones in experiments reversed the effect, supporting testosterone’s role in ramping up IL-10 from white blood cells.
  • The findings pertain to persistent pain after trauma or surgery and point to potential therapies—such as stimulating monocytes or localized testosterone—yet clinical applications remain exploratory and require trials.