Sex Hormones and Atherosclerosis Prevention in Perimenopausal Women

Summary

The purpose of this study is to find out why women's arteries stiffen as they go through menopause, and how this is affected by estrogen loss. We believe that arteries stiffen with the loss of estrogen because of "oxidative stress," the production of molecules that can damage cells and tissues in the body, and because the arteries lose their ability to expand, or dilate.

Timeline

Start

2007-03

Primary completion

2012-10-25

Completion

2012-10-25

Publications

• Background Moreau KL, Donato AJ, Seals DR, DeSouza CA, Tanaka H. Regular exercise, hormone replacement therapy and the age-related decline in carotid arterial compliance in healthy women. Cardiovasc Res. 2003 Mar;57(3):861-8. doi: 10.1016/s0008-6363(02)00777-0.
• Background Moreau KL, Gavin KM, Plum AE, Seals DR. Ascorbic acid selectively improves large elastic artery compliance in postmenopausal women. Hypertension. 2005 Jun;45(6):1107-12. doi: 10.1161/01.HYP.0000165678.63373.8c. Epub 2005 May 2.
• Background Virdis A, Ghiadoni L, Pinto S, Lombardo M, Petraglia F, Gennazzani A, Buralli S, Taddei S, Salvetti A. Mechanisms responsible for endothelial dysfunction associated with acute estrogen deprivation in normotensive women. Circulation. 2000 May 16;101(19):2258-63. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.101.19.2258.
• Background Ihionkhan CE, Chambliss KL, Gibson LL, Hahner LD, Mendelsohn ME, Shaul PW. Estrogen causes dynamic alterations in endothelial estrogen receptor expression. Circ Res. 2002 Nov 1;91(9):814-20. doi: 10.1161/01.res.0000038304.62046.4c.
• Background Eskurza I, Monahan KD, Robinson JA, Seals DR. Effect of acute and chronic ascorbic acid on flow-mediated dilatation with sedentary and physically active human ageing. J Physiol. 2004 Apr 1;556(Pt 1):315-24. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2003.057042. Epub 2004 Jan 30.
• Background Gavin KM, Jankowski C, Kohrt WM, Stauffer BL, Seals DR, Moreau KL. Hysterectomy is associated with large artery stiffening in estrogen-deficient postmenopausal women. Menopause. 2012 Sep;19(9):1000-7. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e31825040f9.
• Background Moreau KL, Meditz A, Deane KD, Kohrt WM. Tetrahydrobiopterin improves endothelial function and decreases arterial stiffness in estrogen-deficient postmenopausal women. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2012 Mar 1;302(5):H1211-8. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.01065.2011. Epub 2012 Jan 13.
• Results Moreau KL, Hildreth KL, Meditz AL, Deane KD, Kohrt WM. Endothelial function is impaired across the stages of the menopause transition in healthy women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Dec;97(12):4692-700. doi: 10.1210/jc.2012-2244. Epub 2012 Sep 11.

Drugs

Indications