Objective To investigate whether there are sex differences in inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)among the offspring of mice with IBD.Methods BALB/c female mice were randomly divided into Na?ve and DSS groups.The mice in the Na?ve group drank autoclaved water freely,and the DSS group freely drank 2％dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)for 7 days before it was replaced with autoclaved water for 10 days.A total of 3～4 cycles were applied,and the IBD female mice were paired with healthy male mice in cages.When the pups were 8 weeks old,they were divided into the Con group and IBD group.The Con group drank autoclaved water freely for 7 days,and the IBD group drank 3％DSS for 7 days.During the modeling period,disease activity index was scored by monitoring body weight,fecal consistency,and the presence of blood in stool every day.Pathological sections were taken to observe changes in goblet cells and the mucus layer of colon tissues.The concentrations of interleukin(IL)-6,IL-1β,IL-33,and IL-10 in the colon were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Real-time quantitative PCR was used to determine the mRNA expression levels of tight-junction proteins and MUC-2 in the colon.Results Compared with female IBD mice,male IBD mice had higher DAI scores,significantly shorter colons,larger amounts of inflammatory infiltrate,more crypt abnormalities,and a higher absence of goblet cells in the colon;their relative mRNA expression of occludin mRNA was significantly reduced,levels of IL-6 and IL-33 were significantly increased,and level of IL-10 was significantly decreased.Conclusions The symptoms of colitis in the offspring of IBD mice were more severe in male than in female mice,a result that was mainly attributed to the more severely impaired intestinal epithelial barrier function in males.