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Life
Special Issues
Gender Medicine: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives
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Gender Medicine: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Research".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 1137

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Laura Franza

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Emergency Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Interests: immunology; emergency medicine; microbiota; gender medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue delves into the evolving field of gender medicine, emphasizing the critical importance of understanding how gender differences influence health and disease. Gender medicine examines the distinct biological and physiological variances between sexes and how these differences impact diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies. We hope to receive articles on the topics of sex-specific healthcare, reproductive health, transgender healthcare, gender differences in mental health, pharmacology and therapeutics, preventive medicine, and intersectionality in medicine.

By compiling current knowledge and identifying future directions, this Special Issue aims to enhance understanding and spur further research in gender medicine. It seeks to bridge gaps in knowledge, promote health equity, and ultimately improve healthcare outcomes for all genders through targeted, evidence-based medical practices.

Dr. Laura Franza
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gender
  • gender medicine
  • LGBTQ + health
  • health equity in gender medicine
  • intersectionality
  • pharmacology
  • reproductive health
  • chronic diseases
  • transgender healthcare
  • sex-specific healthcare

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

24 pages, 971 KB  
Review
The Gut Microbiota–Sex–Immunity Axis in Non-Communicable Diseases
by Mario Caldarelli, Pierluigi Rio, Laura Franza, Sebastiano Cutrupi, Martina Menegolo, Francesco Franceschi, Antonio Gasbarrini, Giovanni Gambassi and Rossella Cianci
Life 2025, 15(10), 1510; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15101510 - 25 Sep 2025
Viewed by 729
Abstract
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer and autoimmune, metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases, represent the leading cause of death globally and a growing healthcare burden. The gut microbiota (GM) has been recognized as a key biological component of host health that contributes to the [...] Read more.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer and autoimmune, metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases, represent the leading cause of death globally and a growing healthcare burden. The gut microbiota (GM) has been recognized as a key biological component of host health that contributes to the maintenance of immune regulation, metabolic homeostasis, and epithelial barrier function. Several studies are now demonstrating that biological sex has an influence on both GM composition and function, which might explain sex differences in disease predisposition, course, and treatment response. Evidence from both clinical and experimental studies indicates that sex hormones, genetics, and lifestyle-related exposures interact with GM to influence the development and progression of most common NCDs. Some research suggests that estrogens promote diversity in GM with anti-inflammatory immune responses, while androgens and male-abundant taxa are associated with pro-inflammatory conditions. However, the evidence in humans is largely confounded by other variables (such as age, genetics, and lifestyle) and should be interpreted with caution. Unique GM metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids and secondary bile acids, can have distinct, sex-specific effects on inflammation, metabolic regulation, and even antitumor immunity. While the existence of a sex–gut microbiota axis is gaining increased support, most studies in humans are cross-sectional epidemiological studies with limited mechanistic evidence and little consideration for sex as a biological variable. Future works should prioritize longitudinal, sex-stratified studies and utilize multi-omics integrated approaches to identify causal pathways. Ultimately, integrating sex differences into GM-based approaches could provide new avenues for personalized strategies for the prevention and treatment of NCDs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gender Medicine: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives)
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