The involvement of estrogen receptors α and β in the in vitro effects of 17β-estradiol on secretory profile of peritoneal macrophages from naturally menopausal female and middle-aged male rats

The Regulation of Adipose Tissue Health by Estrogens

Obesity and its' associated metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic disorders are significant health problems confronting many countries. A major driver for developing obesity and metabolic dysfunction is the uncontrolled expansion of white adipose tissue (WAT). Specifically, the pathophysiological expansion of visceral WAT is often associated with metabolic dysfunction due to changes in adipokine secretion profiles, reduced vascularization, increased fibrosis, and enrichment of pro-inflammatory immune cells. A critical determinate of body fat distribution and WAT health is the sex steroid estrogen. The bioavailability of estrogen appears to favor metabolically healthy subcutaneous fat over visceral fat growth while protecting against changes in metabolic dysfunction. Our review will focus on the role of estrogen on body fat partitioning, WAT homeostasis, adipogenesis, adipocyte progenitor cell (APC) function, and thermogenesis to control WAT health and systemic metabolism.

Endometriosis and Cancer: Exploring the Role of Macrophages

Endometriosis and cancer have much in common, notably their burgeoning of cells in hypoxic milieus, their invasiveness, and their capacity to trigger remodeling, vascularization, and innervation of other tissues. An important role in these processes is played by permissive microenvironments inhabited by a variety of stromal and immune cells, including macrophages. Remarkable phenotypical plasticity of macrophages makes them a promising therapeutic target; some key issues are the range of macrophage phenotypes characteristic of a particular pathology and the possible manners of its modulation. In both endometriosis and cancer, macrophages guard the lesions from immune surveillance while promoting pathological cell growth, invasion, and metastasis. This review article focuses on a comparative analysis of macrophage behaviors in endometriosis and cancer. We also highlight recent reports on the experimental modulation of macrophage phenotypes in preclinical models of endometriosis and cancer.

Ovariectomy provokes inflammatory and cardiovascular effects of endotoxemia in rats: Dissimilar benefits of hormonal supplements

The female gender is protected against immunological complications of endotoxemia. Here we investigated whether gonadal hormone depletion by ovariectomy (OVX) uncovers inflammatory and cardiovascular effects of endotoxemia and whether these effects are reversed by hormone replacement therapies. Changes in inflammatory cytokines, blood pressure (BP), left ventricular (LV) function, and cardiac autonomic activity caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in conscious female rats with different hormonal states were determined. In contrast to no effects in sham-operated females, treatment of OVX rats with LPS (i) decreased BP, (ii) increased spectral low-frequency/high-frequency ratio of HRV, denoting enhanced cardiac sympathetic dominance, (iii) attenuated reflex tachycardic responses to sodium nitroprusside, and (iv) increased systolic contractility (dP/dt_max). The developed hypotension was (i) fully eliminated in estrogen (E₂)-pretreated OVX rats, (ii) partially counteracted after selective activation of estrogen receptor-α (PPT) or β (DPN). All estrogenic compounds abrogated LPS enhancement of cardiac sympathetic drive. However, PPT was more successful than E2 or DPN in compromising LPS depression in baroreflex activity and elevation in dP/dt_max. Molecular studies showed that PPT was most effective in attenuating the upregulated myocardial expressions of NF-κB and iNOS in endotoxic OVX rats. Myocardial expression of the defensive HSP70 was comparably increased by all estrogenic products. Except for improved cardiac spectral activity, none of these functional or molecular entities was affected by medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). Overall, our data suggest diverse therapeutic advantages for gonadal hormones in the worsened endotoxic complications in rats with surgical menopause, with probably more favorable role for ERα agonism within this context.