Dose‐dependent cardiac effect of oestrogen replacement in mice post‐myocardial infarction

Abstract

Hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) has recently been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular events in women. However, it is not clear whether the adverse effect of HRT is related to dosage and/or the presence of progestin. Using a mouse model of myocardial infarction (MI), we studied the dose-effect of oestrogen replacement on mortality and cardiac remodelling and dysfunction post-MI in the absence of progestin. Six-week-old females were subjected to ovariectomy (OVX). A pellet containing a low, moderate or high dose of 17β-oestradiol (E 2 ; 0.42, 4.2 or 18.8 μg day −1 ) or placebo was implanted subcutaneously on the day of OVX. Myocardial infarction was induced 8 weeks later, and cardiac morphology and function were evaluated 8 weeks after MI. We found that E 2 at moderate and high doses adversely affected mortality. A low dose of E 2 that restored plasma oestrogen close to physiological levels had no significant effect on mortality but tended to improve cardiac function and remodelling, associated with reduced fibrosis and increased capillary density. At the moderate dose, E 2 exacerbated cardiac fibrosis, hypertrophy, dysfunction and dilatation, associated with liver and kidney enlargement and ascites. Protein kinase C and extracellular signal-regulated kinase were increased by MI but were not affected by E 2 . In summary, E 2 at a low dose tended to be cardioprotective. At increased doses that raised plasma oestrogen far beyond the physiological level, E 2 was detrimental to the heart. Our data suggest that dosage should be an important consideration when studying the effect of oestrogen replacement on the heart.

The Biochemical and histopathological effects of estrogen replacement therapy on the heart of ovariectomized female rats subjected to myocardial infarction

“…Our findings are in agreement with those of previous studies that reported cardioprotective effects of estrogen, which may involve inhibition of protein kinase C activity, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, and lactate dehydrogenase activity [34][35][36].…”

Estrogen attenuates chronic volume overload induced structural and functional remodeling in male rat hearts

“…Estrogen has been shown to provide cardioprotection in various models of cardiac disease, including the aortocaval fistula model of heart failure (4,15,17,19,21,38,39,45,47).…”

Effects of Estrogen on Cardiovascular Injury in Ovariectomized Female DahlS.Z- Lepr fa /Lepr fa Rats as a New Animal Model of Metabolic Syndrome

“…38 However, whereas estrogen was found previously to inhibit collagen synthesis in cultured cardiac fibroblasts, 39 E 2 treatment enhanced myocardial infarction-induced cardiac fibrosis in mice. 40 Whether estrogen exerts protective or detrimental effects on the heart may thus depend on the dose and on animal species and strain.…”