{
  "abstract": "Introduction: Estrogen receptors (ERs) regulate immune function, but their expression across immune cell subsets and hormone responsiveness in human skin are not fully understood.\n\nMethods: We used 10-color flow cytometry to quantify ER (ERα, ERβ, and GPER1) expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors. We analyzed sex hormone gene expression using public single-cell RNA datasets. Skin immune responses to sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) were assessed in pre- and post-menopausal women, with or without hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Furthermore, we measured the production of mediators in the ER expressing immune cytotoxic cells, specifically T and NK cells, in response to pre- and post-menopausal hormone cocktails.\n\nResults: ERα was predominantly expressed on the membrane of NK and NKT cells, while ERβ was mainly intracellular and showed low expression across subsets. GPER1 displayed a similar membrane distribution to ERα but at lower expression levels. T cells displayed moderate membrane ERα and lower GPER1 expression. Gene expression analysis in women revealed strong ESR1 and ESR2 expression in T cells. In inflamed skin, HRT selectively increased T cell numbers after SLS exposure in post-menopausal women. In vitro , female hormones dose-dependently decreased IFN-γ production in T and NK cells but did not alter cytotoxic mediator production in these cells.\n\nConclusions: ER expression levels and localization vary by immune cell subset, indicating that estrogen modulates immune responses in a cell-specific manner. Sex hormones differentially impact T and NK cell populations during skin inflammation, by increasing T cell numbers and, reducing IFN-γ, without altering cytotoxic activity. These findings demonstrate that female sex hormones significantly influence immune responses in inflamed and aging skin and may guide the development of targeted therapeutic strategies.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester , ,",
    "Centre for Dermatology Research, Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Manchester and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre , ,",
    "No7 Beauty Company, The Boots Group , ,"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Rajia Bahri"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Chiara Tontini"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Orsolya Kiss"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Abigail K. Langton"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Victoria L. Newton"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Mike Bell"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Silvia Bulfone-Paus"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7jtccxkz5dkwp.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fimmu.2026.1903552",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668513/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "7jtccxkz5dkwp",
  "issns": [
    "1664-3224"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13668513",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1311|Estrogen and related hormone effects"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7215043034",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668513/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13668513",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7jtccxkz5dkwp.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:18Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13668513",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13668513"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:15Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fimmu.2026.1903552",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1903552/full"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1311|Estrogen and related hormone effects",
      "subfield": "genetics-genomics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Female hormones enhance skin T cell expansion and suppress IFN-γ production",
  "title_text": "Female hormones enhance skin T cell expansion and suppress IFN-γ production",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:15Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7jtccxkz5dkwp",
  "venue": "Frontiers in immunology",
  "versions": []
}