Gender and Gulf War Illness
Abstract
Gulf War illnesses (GWI), is a chronic disorder affecting returning military Veterans and civilian workers of the 1990?91 Gulf War. A wide range of acute and chronic symptoms have been linked to it, including fatigue, muscle pain, cognitive problems, rashes, and diarrhea. Although both genders were deployed to the military theater, most studies of GWI have focused on males. We used an organophosphate (DFP) to develop an animal model of GWI. As women often exhibit enhanced immunological and stress disorders as compared to men, we expect to find accelerated disease in the female GWI model. The aim of this proposal is to use a GWI female mouse model to study cardiovascular and neuro-inflammatory profiles. The studies will include the effects of drug treatment such as those that affect the immune and or endocrine system. The outcome goal is to discover treatments that may be tested in humans. Indeed, our preliminary results in mice suggest that we have discovered chemicals that may be effective against GWI. The groups of this study will include female mice, intact or with the ovary removed. The rationale for the surgical model is to test the animals in the absence of cycling hormones. The mice will be evaluated at baseline, 1 week after toxin exposure (GWI Model), and 2 weeks after the drug treatment. Each evaluation will be performed by transthoracic echocardiography to access cardiac function and autonomic balance and blood collection to quantify plasma inflammatory biomarkers. The studies emphasize the importance of information on the pathological changes that occur in females in response to chemical toxins. The results suggest that specific drug treatments may be appropriate for use in the human GWI patient.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 07, 2017
- Source ID
- W81XWH1710507
Entities
People
- Mariana Morris
Organizations
- Nova Southeastern University
- United States Army