Intestinal MCT1 plays a crucial role in sex-dependent metabolic regulation

Monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) plays a crucial role in the transport of lactate, pyruvate, ketone bodies, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), as well as MCT1-targeted drugs in various tissues. How MCT1 and lactate in the intestine modulate the physiology and pathophysiology of the body is unclear. A recent study published in Life Metabolism reveals that intestinal MCT1 regulates intestinal inflammation and metabolism in a sex-dimorphic pattern, which further confirms that metabolic homeostasis is differentially regulated in both sexes.

In the intestinal epithelium specific MCT1 deficient mice, investigators found sex-dependent alterations in male mice primarily in the form of enhanced glucose tolerance/insulin sensitivity, interruption of monocarboxylate (including lactate and SCFAs) transport, reduction of local and systemic inflammation, and modulation of the intestinal microbiota, whereas the predominant phenotype in Slc16a1-deficient female mice is an exacerbation of diet-induced obesity. Also, estrogen appears to be partly responsible for sexual dimorphism in mice.

According to this study, gender-specific treatments are needed for metabolic disorders, as well as differential treatment approaches based on gender.