Mitochondrial functioning in Rheumatoid arthritis modulated by estrogen: Evidence-based insight into the sex-based influence on mitochondria and disease.

Alteration of immune response and synovium microvasculature in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) progression has been suggested to be associated with mitochondrial functioning. Mitochondria, with maternally inherited DNA, exhibit differential response to the female hormone estrogen. Various epidemiological evidence has also shown the prominence of RA in the female population, depicting the role of estrogen in modulating the pathogenesis of RA.