Sex differences in cytokine production and surface antigen expression of peripheral blood mononuclear cells after surgery

Both TNF-α and interleukin-10 production of PBMCs and both TLR-2 and CD16 expression on monocytes were significantly higher in women than in men on the day before surgery. Excessive TNF-α and suppressive IFN-γ production of PBMCs, as well as a decrease in HLA-DR expression on monocytes, occurred more often in men than in women after surgery, suggesting that these factors all contribute to an increased susceptibility of men to develop systemic inflammatory response syndrome or postoperative infectious complications.