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Frank N, Herrmann MJ, Lauer M, Förster CY. Exploratory Review of the Takotsubo Syndrome and the Possible Role of the Psychosocial Stress Response and Inflammaging. Biomolecules 2024; 14:167. [PMID: 38397404 PMCID: PMC10886847 DOI: 10.3390/biom14020167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a cardiomyopathy that clinically presents as a transient and reversible left ventricular wall motion abnormality (LVWMA). Recovery can occur spontaneously within hours or weeks. Studies have shown that it mainly affects older people. In particular, there is a higher prevalence in postmenopausal women. Physical and emotional stress factors are widely discussed and generally recognized triggers. In addition, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the associated glucocorticoid-dependent negative feedback play an important role in the resulting immune response. This review aims to highlight the unstudied aspects of the trigger factors of TTS. The focus is on emotional stress/chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), which is influenced by estrogen concentration and noradrenaline, for example, and can lead to changes in the behavioral, hormonal, and autonomic systems. Age- and gender-specific aspects, as well as psychological effects, must also be considered. We hypothesize that this leads to a stronger corticosteroid response and altered feedback of the HPA axis. This may trigger proinflammatory markers and thus immunosuppression, inflammaging, and sympathetic overactivation, which contributes significantly to the development of TTS. The aim is to highlight the importance of CUMS and psychological triggers as risk factors and to make an exploratory proposal based on the new knowledge. Based on the imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is presented as a possible new therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Frank
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency and Pain Medicine, Würzburg University, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin J. Herrmann
- Center of Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany; (M.J.H.); (M.L.)
| | - Martin Lauer
- Center of Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany; (M.J.H.); (M.L.)
| | - Carola Y. Förster
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency and Pain Medicine, Würzburg University, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
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Nagai M, Förster CY, Dote K. Sex Hormone-Specific Neuroanatomy of Takotsubo Syndrome: Is the Insular Cortex a Moderator? Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12010110. [PMID: 35053258 PMCID: PMC8773903 DOI: 10.3390/biom12010110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), a transient form of dysfunction in the heart’s left ventricle, occurs predominantly in postmenopausal women who have emotional stress. Earlier studies support the concept that the human circulatory system is modulated by a cortical network (consisting of the anterior cingulate gyrus, amygdala, and insular cortex (Ic)) that plays a pivotal role in the central autonomic nervous system in relation to emotional stressors. The Ic plays a crucial role in the sympathovagal balance, and decreased levels of female sex hormones have been speculated to change functional cerebral asymmetry, with a possible link to autonomic instability. In this review, we focus on the Ic as an important moderator of the human brain–heart axis in association with sex hormones. We also summarize the current knowledge regarding the sex-specific neuroanatomy in TTS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiaki Nagai
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, Hiroshima 731-0293, Japan;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-82-815-5211; Fax: +81-82-814-1791
| | - Carola Yvette Förster
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency and Pain Medicine, University of Würzburg, D-97080 Würzburg, Germany;
| | - Keigo Dote
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, Hiroshima 731-0293, Japan;
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Crescioli C. The Role of Estrogens and Vitamin D in Cardiomyocyte Protection: A Female Perspective. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11121815. [PMID: 34944459 PMCID: PMC8699224 DOI: 10.3390/biom11121815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Women experience a dramatical raise in cardiovascular events after menopause. The decline in estrogens is pointed to as the major responsible trigger for the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Indeed, the menopausal transition associates with heart macro-remodeling, which results from a fine-tuned cell micro-remodeling. The remodeling of cardiomyocytes is a biomolecular response to several physiologic and pathologic stimuli, allowing healthy adaptation in normal conditions or maladaptation in an unfavorable environment, ending in organ architecture disarray. Estrogens largely impinge on cardiomyocyte remodeling, but they cannot fully explain the sex-dimorphism of CVD risk. Albeit cell remodeling and adaptation are under multifactorial regulation, vitamin D emerges to exert significant protective effects, controlling some intracellular paths, often shared with estrogen signaling. In post-menopause, the unfavorable association of hypoestrogenism-D hypovitaminosis may converge towards maladaptive remodeling and contribute to increased CVD risk. The aim of this review is to overview the role of estrogens and vitamin D in female cardiac health, speculating on their potential synergistic effect in cardiomyocyte remodeling, an issue that is not yet fully explored. Further learning the crosstalk between these two steroids in the biomolecular orchestration of cardiac cell fate during adaptation may help the translational approach to future cardioprotective strategies for women health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Crescioli
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, Section of Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", 00135 Rome, Italy
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Querio G, Antoniotti S, Geddo F, Tullio F, Penna C, Pagliaro P, Gallo MP. Ischemic heart disease and cardioprotection: Focus on estrogenic hormonal setting and microvascular health. Vascul Pharmacol 2021; 141:106921. [PMID: 34592428 DOI: 10.1016/j.vph.2021.106921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) is a clinical condition characterized by insufficient blood flow to the cardiac tissue, and the consequent inappropriate oxygen and nutrients supply and metabolic waste removal in the heart. In the last decade a broad scientific literature has underlined the distinct mechanism of onset and the peculiar progress of IHD between female and male patients, highlighting the estrogenic hormonal setting as a key factor of these sex-dependent divergences. In particular, estrogen-activated cardioprotective pathways exert a pivotal role for the microvascular health, and their impairment, both physiologically and pathologically driven, predispose to vascular dysfunctions. Aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on the estrogen receptors localization and function in the cardiovascular system, particularly focusing on sex-dependent differences in microvascular vs macrovascular dysfunction and on the experimental models that allowed the researchers to reach the current findings and sketching the leading estrogen-mediated cardioprotective mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Querio
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Susanna Antoniotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Federica Geddo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Francesca Tullio
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Claudia Penna
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Pasquale Pagliaro
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
| | - Maria Pia Gallo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
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Nagai M, Kobayashi Y, Kobatake H, Dote K, Kato M, Oda N, Kunita E, Kagawa E, Yamane A, Osawa A, Shiota H, Takeuchi M, Förster CY. Happy heart syndrome: a case of Takotsubo syndrome with left internal carotid artery occlusion. Clin Auton Res 2020; 30:347-350. [PMID: 32451755 DOI: 10.1007/s10286-020-00696-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michiaki Nagai
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan.
| | - Yusuke Kobayashi
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kobatake
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan
| | - Keigo Dote
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan
| | - Masaya Kato
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan
| | - Noboru Oda
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan
| | - Eiji Kunita
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan
| | - Eisuke Kagawa
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan
| | - Aya Yamane
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan
| | - Ayano Osawa
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan
| | - Haruko Shiota
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan
| | - Makoto Takeuchi
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan
| | - Carola Y Förster
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Tran QK. Reciprocality Between Estrogen Biology and Calcium Signaling in the Cardiovascular System. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:568203. [PMID: 33133016 PMCID: PMC7550652 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.568203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
17β-Estradiol (E2) is the main estrogenic hormone in the body and exerts many cardiovascular protective effects. Via three receptors known to date, including estrogen receptors α (ERα) and β (ERβ) and the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER, aka GPR30), E2 regulates numerous calcium-dependent activities in cardiovascular tissues. Nevertheless, effects of E2 and its receptors on components of the calcium signaling machinery (CSM), the underlying mechanisms, and the linked functional impact are only beginning to be elucidated. A picture is emerging of the reciprocality between estrogen biology and Ca2+ signaling. Therein, E2 and GPER, via both E2-dependent and E2-independent actions, moderate Ca2+-dependent activities; in turn, ERα and GPER are regulated by Ca2+ at the receptor level and downstream signaling via a feedforward loop. This article reviews current understanding of the effects of E2 and its receptors on the cardiovascular CSM and vice versa with a focus on mechanisms and combined functional impact. An overview of the main CSM components in cardiovascular tissues will be first provided, followed by a brief review of estrogen receptors and their Ca2+-dependent regulation. The effects of estrogenic agonists to stimulate acute Ca2+ signals will then be reviewed. Subsequently, E2-dependent and E2-independent effects of GPER on components of the Ca2+ signals triggered by other stimuli will be discussed. Finally, a case study will illustrate how the many mechanisms are coordinated to moderate Ca2+-dependent activities in the cardiovascular system.
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Whitcomb V, Wauson E, Christian D, Clayton S, Giles J, Tran QK. Regulation of beta adrenoceptor-mediated myocardial contraction and calcium dynamics by the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1. Biochem Pharmacol 2019; 171:113727. [PMID: 31759979 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.113727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) produces cardioprotective effects. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We aimed to investigate the role of GPER in β adrenoceptor-mediated cardiac contraction and myocardial signaling. In anesthetized animals, intrajugular administration of isoproterenol produces a rapid and sustained rise in left ventricular pressure (LVP) and increases ectopic contractions. Administration of the GPER agonist G-1 during the plateau phase of isoproterenol-induced LVP increase rapidly restores LVP to baseline levels and reduces the frequency of ectopic contractions. In freshly isolated cardiomyocytes, isoproterenol potentiates electrically induced peak currents of L-type Ca2+ channels (LTCC) and increases the potential sensitivity of their inactivation. Coadministration of G-1 prevents isoproterenol-induced potentiation of peak LTCC currents and makes channels more sensitive to being inactivated compared to isoproterenol alone. Isoproterenol treatment of cardiomyocytes without electrical stimulation triggers slow-rising Ca2+ signals that are inhibited by the β1AR antagonist metoprolol but not by β2AR antagonist ICI-118551. G-1 pretreatment dose-dependently suppresses isoproterenol-induced total Ca2+ signals and the amplitude and frequency of the intrinsic Ca2+ oscillatory deflections. Pretreatment with the GPER antagonist G-36 produces opposite effects, dose-dependently increasing these signals. ISO promotes robust phosphorylation of Cav1.2 channels at Ser1928. G-1 pretreatment inhibits isoproterenol-stimulated phosphorylation of Cav1.2 at Ser1928, while G-36 pretreatment enhances this signal. Our data indicate that GPER functions as an intrinsic component of β1AR signaling to moderate myocardial Ca2+ dynamics and contraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Whitcomb
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center, 3200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312, United States
| | - Eric Wauson
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center, 3200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312, United States
| | - Daniel Christian
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center, 3200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312, United States
| | - Sarah Clayton
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center, 3200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312, United States
| | - Jennifer Giles
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center, 3200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312, United States
| | - Quang-Kim Tran
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center, 3200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312, United States.
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Nagai M, Förster CY, Dote K, Shimokawa H. Sex hormones in heart failure revisited? Eur J Heart Fail 2019; 21:308-310. [PMID: 30666765 DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.1408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michiaki Nagai
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Carola Y Förster
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Keigo Dote
- Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Shimokawa
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
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Mahmoodzadeh S, Dworatzek E. The Role of 17β-Estradiol and Estrogen Receptors in Regulation of Ca 2+ Channels and Mitochondrial Function in Cardiomyocytes. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2019; 10:310. [PMID: 31156557 PMCID: PMC6529529 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous epidemiological, clinical, and animal studies showed that cardiac function and manifestation of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are different between males and females. The underlying reasons for these sex differences are definitely multifactorial, but major evidence points to a causal role of the sex steroid hormone 17β-estradiol (E2) and its receptors (ER) in the physiology and pathophysiology of the heart. Interestingly, it has been shown that cardiac calcium (Ca2+) ion channels and mitochondrial function are regulated in a sex-specific manner. Accurate mitochondrial function and Ca2+ signaling are of utmost importance for adequate heart function and crucial to maintaining the cardiovascular health. Due to the highly sensitive nature of these processes in the heart, this review article highlights the current knowledge regarding sex dimorphisms in the heart implicating the importance of E2 and ERs in the regulation of cardiac mitochondrial function and Ca2+ ion channels, thus the contractility. In particular, we provide an overview of in-vitro and in-vivo studies using either E2 deficiency; ER deficiency or selective ER activation, which suggest that E2 and ERs are strongly involved in these processes. In this context, this review also discusses the divergent E2-responses resulting from the activation of different ER subtypes in these processes. Detailed understanding of the E2 and ER-mediated molecular and cellular mechanisms in the heart under physiological and pathological conditions may help to design more specifically targeted drugs for the management of CVDs in men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shokoufeh Mahmoodzadeh
- Department of Molecular Muscle Physiology, Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- *Correspondence: Shokoufeh Mahmoodzadeh
| | - Elke Dworatzek
- Department of Molecular Muscle Physiology, Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Gender in Medicine, Charité Universitaetsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
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Puglisi R, Mattia G, Carè A, Marano G, Malorni W, Matarrese P. Non-genomic Effects of Estrogen on Cell Homeostasis and Remodeling With Special Focus on Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2019; 10:733. [PMID: 31708877 PMCID: PMC6823206 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This review takes into consideration the main mechanisms involved in cellular remodeling following an ischemic injury, with special focus on the possible role played by non-genomic estrogen effects. Sex differences have also been considered. In fact, cardiac ischemic events induce damage to different cellular components of the heart, such as cardiomyocytes, vascular cells, endothelial cells, and cardiac fibroblasts. The ability of the cardiovascular system to counteract an ischemic insult is orchestrated by these cell types and is carried out thanks to a number of complex molecular pathways, including genomic (slow) or non-genomic (fast) effects of estrogen. These pathways are probably responsible for differences observed between the two sexes. Literature suggests that male and female hearts, and, more in general, cardiovascular system cells, show significant differences in many parameters under both physiological and pathological conditions. In particular, many experimental studies dealing with sex differences in the cardiovascular system suggest a higher ability of females to respond to environmental insults in comparison with males. For instance, as cells from females are more effective in counteracting the ischemia/reperfusion injury if compared with males, a role for estrogen in this sex disparity has been hypothesized. However, the possible involvement of estrogen-dependent non-genomic effects on the cardiovascular system is still under debate. Further experimental studies, including sex-specific studies, are needed in order to shed further light on this matter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Puglisi
- Center for Gender Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Mattia
- Center for Gender Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Carè
- Center for Gender Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Marano
- Center for Gender Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Walter Malorni
- Center for Gender Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
- School of Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Matarrese
- Center for Gender Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
- *Correspondence: Paola Matarrese
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Cooke PS, Nanjappa MK, Ko C, Prins GS, Hess RA. Estrogens in Male Physiology. Physiol Rev 2017; 97:995-1043. [PMID: 28539434 PMCID: PMC6151497 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00018.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 263] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Revised: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Estrogens have historically been associated with female reproduction, but work over the last two decades established that estrogens and their main nuclear receptors (ESR1 and ESR2) and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) also regulate male reproductive and nonreproductive organs. 17β-Estradiol (E2) is measureable in blood of men and males of other species, but in rete testis fluids, E2 reaches concentrations normally found only in females and in some species nanomolar concentrations of estrone sulfate are found in semen. Aromatase, which converts androgens to estrogens, is expressed in Leydig cells, seminiferous epithelium, and other male organs. Early studies showed E2 binding in numerous male tissues, and ESR1 and ESR2 each show unique distributions and actions in males. Exogenous estrogen treatment produced male reproductive pathologies in laboratory animals and men, especially during development, and studies with transgenic mice with compromised estrogen signaling demonstrated an E2 role in normal male physiology. Efferent ductules and epididymal functions are dependent on estrogen signaling through ESR1, whose loss impaired ion transport and water reabsorption, resulting in abnormal sperm. Loss of ESR1 or aromatase also produces effects on nonreproductive targets such as brain, adipose, skeletal muscle, bone, cardiovascular, and immune tissues. Expression of GPER is extensive in male tracts, suggesting a possible role for E2 signaling through this receptor in male reproduction. Recent evidence also indicates that membrane ESR1 has critical roles in male reproduction. Thus estrogens are important physiological regulators in males, and future studies may reveal additional roles for estrogen signaling in various target tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul S Cooke
- Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; Department of Urology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Manjunatha K Nanjappa
- Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; Department of Urology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - CheMyong Ko
- Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; Department of Urology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Gail S Prins
- Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; Department of Urology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Rex A Hess
- Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; Department of Urology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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12
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Dworatzek E, Mahmoodzadeh S. Targeted basic research to highlight the role of estrogen and estrogen receptors in the cardiovascular system. Pharmacol Res 2017; 119:27-35. [PMID: 28119050 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2017.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2016] [Revised: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiological, clinical and animal studies revealed that sex differences exist in the manifestation and outcome of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The underlying molecular mechanisms implicated in these sex differences are not fully understood. The reasons for sex differences in CVD are definitely multifactorial, but major evidence points to the contribution of sex steroid hormone, 17β-estradiol (E2), and its receptors, estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ). In this review, we summarize past and present studies that implicate E2 and ER as important determinants of sexual dimorphism in the physiology and pathophysiology of the heart. In particular, we give an overview of studies aimed to reveal the role of E2 and ER in the physiology of the observed sex differences in CVD using ER knock-out mice. Finally, we discuss recent findings from novel transgenic mouse models, which have provided new information on the sexual dimorphic roles of ER specifically in cardiomyocytes under pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Dworatzek
- Institut of Gender in Medicine and Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charitè-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research, partner site Berlin), Berlin, Germany
| | - Shokoufeh Mahmoodzadeh
- Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany; DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research, partner site Berlin), Berlin, Germany.
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Wang H, Sun X, Chou J, Lin M, Ferrario CM, Zapata-Sudo G, Groban L. Cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) leads to left ventricular dysfunction and adverse remodeling: A sex-specific gene profiling analysis. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2016; 1863:1870-1882. [PMID: 27725247 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2016.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Revised: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 10/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Activation of G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) by its agonist, G1, protects the heart from stressors such as pressure-overload, ischemia, a high-salt diet, estrogen loss, and aging, in various male and female animal models. Due to nonspecific effects of G1, the exact functions of cardiac GPER cannot be concluded from studies using systemic G1 administration. Moreover, global knockdown of GPER affects glucose homeostasis, blood pressure, and many other cardiovascular-related systems, thereby confounding interpretation of its direct cardiac actions. We generated a cardiomyocyte-specific GPER knockout (KO) mouse model to specifically investigate the functions of GPER in cardiomyocytes. Compared to wild type mice, cardiomyocyte-specific GPER KO mice exhibited adverse alterations in cardiac structure and impaired systolic and diastolic function, as measured by echocardiography. Gene deletion effects on left ventricular dimensions were more profound in male KO mice compared to female KO mice. Analysis of DNA microarray data from isolated cardiomyocytes of wild type and KO mice revealed sex-based differences in gene expression profiles affecting multiple transcriptional networks. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed that mitochondrial genes are enriched in GPER KO females, whereas inflammatory response genes are enriched in GPER KO males, compared to their wild type counterparts of the same sex. The cardiomyocyte-specific GPER KO mouse model provides us with a powerful tool to study the functions of GPER in cardiomyocytes. The gene expression profiles of the GPER KO mice provide foundational information for further study of the mechanisms underlying sex-specific cardioprotection by GPER.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Female
- Gene Deletion
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Gene Expression Regulation
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism
- Myocytes, Cardiac/pathology
- Receptors, Estrogen/genetics
- Receptors, Estrogen/metabolism
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/genetics
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/metabolism
- Sex Characteristics
- Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/genetics
- Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/metabolism
- Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/pathology
- Ventricular Remodeling/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1009, USA; Internal Medicine/Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
| | - Xuming Sun
- Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1009, USA
| | - Jeff Chou
- Public Health Sciences, Section on Biostatistical Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Marina Lin
- Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1009, USA
| | - Carlos M Ferrario
- Department of Surgery, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; Department of Internal Medicine/Nephrology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Gisele Zapata-Sudo
- Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1009, USA; Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Drug Development Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leanne Groban
- Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1009, USA; Internal Medicine/Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; Cardiovascular Research Center, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; Sticht Center on Aging, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA.
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14
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De Smet MAJ, Lapauw B, De Backer T. Sex steroids in relation to cardiac structure and function in men. Andrologia 2016; 49. [PMID: 27135437 DOI: 10.1111/and.12610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of testosterone substitution as well as of androgen deprivation therapy in men is increasing. This review aims to summarise available knowledge of the effects of sex steroids on cardiac structure and function in men. MEDLINE was searched through PubMed. Original studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and relevant citations were screened. A short-term hormonal intervention study in healthy young men with respect to echocardiographic parameters of structure and function was performed. Preclinical research provides sufficient evidence for the heart as a substrate for sex hormones. In animals, administration of oestradiol appears to have beneficial effects on cardiac structure and function, whereas administration of testosterone to noncastrated animals adversely affects cardiac function. However, the effects of sex steroids on cardiac function and structure appear more heterogeneous in human observational studies while comparative, prospective studies in humans are lacking. It is concluded that although effects of testosterone substitution as well as of androgen deprivation on cardiac structure and function can be expected based on pre-clinical research, there exists an important knowledge gap of the effects of hormonal intervention in men. As such, there is a need to address this question in future prospective intervention trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A J De Smet
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - B Lapauw
- Department of Endocrinology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - T De Backer
- Department of Cardiology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
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15
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Shen C, Chen Z, Mahmoodurrahman M, Chen X. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of ERβ and coronary atherosclerotic disease in Chinese Han women. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY 2015; 8:2044-2050. [PMID: 25973102 PMCID: PMC4396251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 01/09/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Growing evidence has shown that with the increase of age, the incidence of coronary atherosclerotic disease (CAD) in women increases to equal that of men. Several studies on the single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] seem to provide evidence in support of the protective role estrogen receptor β (ERβ) has in reducing the risk of CAD. OBJECTIVE To determine the association of ERβ SNPs rs1256049 RsaI 1082 A > G and rs4986938 AluI 1730 G > A with coronary atherosclerotic disease in Chinese Han women. METHODS We designed a nested case-control research, in which 120 case women and 30 control women were selected from the Forensic Medicine Department of Tongji Medical College, HUST. We isolated DNA from their lung paraffin blocks, and then screened for these two SNPs for each DNA sample. Post-statistical analysis of their genotypes and haplotypes was used to figure out the targeted association. RESULTS We found no significant difference between the genotypes or haplotypes of the two SNPs and the risk of CAD. However, the rs4986938 heterozygote AG variant was correlated with a significantly lower risk for CAD than did homozygote GG variant in the group of less than 40 years old. Haplotype AA of the two SNPs was correlated with a higher risk for CAD in the same group. CONCLUSION The rs4986938 AluI 1730 G > A seems to be quite involved in the genetic basis of the disease and needs more attention in future studies. Meanwhile, this very association made between CAD and the mentioned SNP seems to be affected quite a bit by age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyu Shen
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhan, China
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South FloridaTampa, FL, USA
| | - Zhenglian Chen
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhan, China
| | | | - Xinshan Chen
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhan, China
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16
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Knowlton AA, Korzick DH. Estrogen and the female heart. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2014; 389:31-9. [PMID: 24462775 PMCID: PMC5709037 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2014.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2013] [Revised: 01/04/2014] [Accepted: 01/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Estrogen has a plethora of effects in the cardiovascular system. Studies of estrogen and the heart span human clinical trials and basic cell and molecular investigations. Greater understanding of cell and molecular responses to estrogens can provide further insights into the findings of clinical studies. Differences in expression and cellular/intracellular distribution of the two main receptors, estrogen receptor (ER) α and β, are thought to account for the specificity and differences in responses to estrogen. Much remains to be learned in this area, but cellular distribution within the cardiovascular system is becoming clearer. Identification of GPER as a third ER has introduced further complexity to the system. 17β-estradiol (E2), the most potent human estrogen, clearly has protective properties activating a signaling cascade leading to cellular protection and also influencing expression of the protective heat shock proteins (HSP). E2 protects the heart from ischemic injury in basic studies, but the picture is more involved in the whole organism and clinical studies. Here the complexity of E2's widespread effects comes into play and makes interpretation of findings more challenging. Estrogen loss occurs primarily with aging, but few studies have used aged models despite clear evidence of differences between the response to estrogen deficiency in adult and aged animals. Thus more work is needed focusing on the effects of aging vs. estrogen loss on the cardiovascular system.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A Knowlton
- The Department of Veteran's Affairs, Northern California VA, Sacramento, CA, USA; Molecular & Cellular Cardiology, Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, USA.
| | - D H Korzick
- Intercollege Program in Physiology and Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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17
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Korzick DH, Lancaster TS. Age-related differences in cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury: effects of estrogen deficiency. Pflugers Arch 2013; 465:669-85. [PMID: 23525672 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-013-1255-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2013] [Revised: 02/23/2013] [Accepted: 02/25/2013] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Despite conflicting evidence for the efficacy of hormone replacement therapy in cardioprotection of postmenopausal women, numerous studies have demonstrated reductions in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury following chronic or acute exogenous estradiol (E2) administration in adult male and female, gonad-intact and gonadectomized animals. It has become clear that ovariectomized adult animals may not accurately represent the combined effects of age and E2 deficiency on reductions in ischemic tolerance seen in the postmenopausal female. E2 is known to regulate the transcription of several cardioprotective genes. Acute, non-genomic E2 signaling can also activate many of the same signaling pathways recruited in cardioprotection. Alterations in cardioprotective gene expression or cardioprotective signal transduction are therefore likely to result within the context of aging and E2 deficiency and may help explain the reduced ischemic tolerance and loss of cardioprotection in the senescent female heart. Quantification of the mitochondrial proteome as it adapts to advancing age and E2 deficiency may also represent a key experimental approach to uncover proteins associated with disruptions in cardiac signaling contributing to age-associated declines in ischemic tolerance. These alterations have important ramifications for understanding the increased morbidity and mortality due to ischemic cardiovascular disease seen in postmenopausal females. Functional perturbations that occur in mitochondrial respiration and Ca(2+) sensitivity with age-associated E2 deficiency may also allow for the identification of alternative therapeutic targets for reducing I/R injury and treatment of the leading cause of death in postmenopausal women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna H Korzick
- Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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18
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Wend K, Wend P, Krum SA. Tissue-Specific Effects of Loss of Estrogen during Menopause and Aging. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2012; 3:19. [PMID: 22654856 PMCID: PMC3356020 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2012.00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2011] [Accepted: 01/23/2012] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The roles of estrogens have been best studied in the breast, breast cancers, and in the female reproductive tract. However, estrogens have important functions in almost every tissue in the body. Recent clinical trials such as the Women's Health Initiative have highlighted both the importance of estrogens and how little we know about the molecular mechanism of estrogens in these other tissues. In this review, we illustrate the diverse functions of estrogens in the bone, adipose tissue, skin, hair, brain, skeletal muscle and cardiovascular system, and how the loss of estrogens during aging affects these tissues. Early transcriptional targets of estrogen are reviewed in each tissue. We also describe the tissue-specific effects of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) used for the treatment of breast cancers and postmenopausal symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Korinna Wend
- Orthopaedic Hospital Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Hospital Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Peter Wend
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Susan A. Krum
- Orthopaedic Hospital Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Hospital Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA, USA
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19
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Yan S, Chen Y, Dong M, Song W, Belcher SM, Wang HS. Bisphenol A and 17β-estradiol promote arrhythmia in the female heart via alteration of calcium handling. PLoS One 2011; 6:e25455. [PMID: 21980463 PMCID: PMC3181279 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2011] [Accepted: 09/05/2011] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There is wide-spread human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a ubiquitous estrogenic endocrine disruptor that has been implicated as having potentially harmful effects on human heart health. Higher urine BPA concentrations have been shown to be associated with cardiovascular diseases in humans. However, neither the nature nor the mechanism(s) of BPA action on the heart are understood. Methodology/Principal Findings The rapid (<7 min) effects of BPA and 17β-estradiol (E2) in the heart and ventricular myocytes from rodents were investigated in the present study. In isolated ventricular myocytes from young adult females, but not males, physiological concentrations of BPA or E2 (10−9 M) rapidly induced arrhythmogenic triggered activities. The effects of BPA were particularly pronounced when combined with estradiol. Under conditions of catecholamine stimulation, E2 and BPA promoted ventricular arrhythmias in female, but not male, hearts. The cellular mechanism of the female-specific pro-arrhythmic effects of BPA and E2 were investigated. Exposure to E2 and/or BPA rapidly altered myocyte Ca2+ handling; in particular, estrogens markedly increased sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ leak, and increased SR Ca2+ load. Ryanodine (10−7 M) inhibition of SR Ca2+ leak suppressed estrogen-induced triggered activities. The rapid response of female myocytes to estrogens was abolished in an estrogen receptor (ER) β knockout mouse model. Conclusions/Significance Physiologically-relevant concentrations of BPA and E2 promote arrhythmias in a female-specific manner in rat hearts; the pro-arrhythmic actions of estrogens are mediated by ERβ-signaling through alterations of myocyte Ca2+ handling, particularly increases in SR Ca2+ leak. Our study provides the first experimental evidence suggesting that exposure to estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals and the unique sensitivity of female hearts to estrogens may play a role in arrhythmogenesis in the female heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujuan Yan
- Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Yamei Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Min Dong
- Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Weizhong Song
- Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Scott M. Belcher
- Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Hong-Sheng Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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20
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Barros RPA, Gustafsson JÅ. Estrogen receptors and the metabolic network. Cell Metab 2011; 14:289-99. [PMID: 21907136 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2011.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 305] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2011] [Revised: 06/20/2011] [Accepted: 07/11/2011] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The metabolic syndrome has reached pandemic level worldwide, and evidence is that estradiol plays a key role in its development. The discovery of the second estrogen receptor, ERβ, in tissues previously not considered targets of estradiol was a breakthrough in endocrinology. In the present review, we discuss how the presence of ERβ and the previously described ERα in tissues involved in glucose and lipid homeostasis (brain, skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, pancreas, liver, and heart) may have important implications to risk factors associated with the metabolic syndrome. Imbalance of ERα/ERβ ratio in this "metabolic network" may lead to the metabolic syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo P A Barros
- Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA.
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21
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Tomicek NJ, Miller-Lee JL, Hunter JC, Korzick DH. Estrogen receptor beta does not influence ischemic tolerance in the aged female rat heart. Cardiovasc Ther 2011; 31:32-7. [PMID: 21884022 DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-5922.2011.00288.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Ischemic heart disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in aged women, with a 2- to 3-fold increase in incidence following menopause. Clinical trials have failed to demonstrate cardioprotective benefit from chronic estrogen (E(2)) replacement therapy, yet protective effects of E(2) have been demonstrated in adult animal models and are mediated by the estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes ERα and ERβ. AIMS The aim of this study was to determine the effects of acute ERβ activation on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in adult, aged, and aged E(2)-deficient female rats. METHODS Hearts were isolated from adult (6 months; n = 9), aged (24 months; n = 13), and aged ovariectomized (OVX; n = 14) female Fischer 344 rats and subjected to 47 min of global I and 60 min of R. Rats were acutely treated with the ERβ-agonist diarylpropionitrile (DPN; 5 μg/kg) or vehicle 45 min prior to I/R; ERβ mRNA and protein levels were also assessed. RESULTS Acute treatment with DPN had no effect on functional recovery following I/R injury in adult, aged, or aged OVX female rats. Additionally, we were unable to detect ERβ mRNA or protein in the adult or aged female rat myocardium. CONCLUSIONS Here, for the first time, our data suggest that acute ERβ activation does not impact ischemic tolerance in the adult or aged female Fischer 344 rat myocardium and this likely due to a lack of detectable ERβ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanette J Tomicek
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Physiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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22
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Broberg AM, Siddiqui AJ, Fischer H, Grinnemo KH, Wardell E, Andersson AB, Inzunza J, Sylvén C, Gustafsson JÅ. Estrogen receptors do not influence angiogenesis after myocardial infarction. SCAND CARDIOVASC J 2011; 45:215-22. [PMID: 21486101 DOI: 10.3109/14017431.2011.569941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is controversy on whether estrogen receptors are present and functioning in the myocardium. Aims. To explore if after myocardial infarction (MI) estrogen receptors α (ERα) and β (ERβ) are upregulated in myocardial tissue and to explore if the presence/ absence of ERα or ERβ influences angiogenesis after MI. METHODS MI was induced by ligation of the left anterior descending artery in knockout (KO) mice, ERαKO and ERβKO, respectively, and non-KO littermate-controls, C57Bl/6 mice. The hearts were harvested after 12 days. A part of the periinfarct tissue was collected for ERα and ERβ mRNA expression determination by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Using immunohistochemistry, ERα and ERβ protein expression and capillary and arteriolar densities were blindly determined in the periinfarct area. RESULTS In myocardium disrupted mRNA was upregulated in both ERαKO and ERβKO, (p < 0.005) and did not change after MI. There was no change in mRNA expression of ERα or ERβ in wild type mice after MI. Expression of ERβ in ERαKO and of ERα in ERβKO did not change. Following MI ERα or ERβ could not be demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in either wild type or ERαKO or ERβKO. The capillary and arteriolar densities after MI did not differ between the groups in the periinfarct area. CONCLUSIONS Although disrupted ER mRNA is upregulated in myocardium of ER knockout mice, no change in these or native receptors occurs following MI. At least in this model ER therefore seems not to have a role in myocardial arteriogenesis and angiogenesis after MI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agneta Månsson Broberg
- Department of Cardiology, Karolinska Institute, Clinical Research Center, Stockholm, Sweden
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23
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Gürgen D, Hegner B, Kusch A, Catar R, Chaykovska L, Hoff U, Gross V, Slowinski T, da Costa Goncalves AC, Kintscher U, Gustafsson JÅ, Luft FC, Dragun D. Estrogen receptor-beta signals left ventricular hypertrophy sex differences in normotensive deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt mice. Hypertension 2011; 57:648-54. [PMID: 21300662 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.110.166157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
We found earlier that deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt treatment causes blood pressure-independent left ventricular hypertrophy, but only in male mice. To test the hypothesis that the estrogen receptor-β (ERβ) protects the females from left ventricular hypertrophy, we treated male and female ERβ-deficient (ERβ(-/-)) mice and their male and female littermates (wild-type [WT]) with deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt and made them telemetrically normotensive with hydralazine. WT males had increased (+16%) heart weight/tibia length ratios compared with WT females (+7%) at 6 weeks. In ERβ(-/-) mice, this situation was reversed. Female WT mice had the greatest heart weight/tibia length ratio increases of all of the groups (+23%), even greater than ERβ(-/-) males (+10%). Echocardiography revealed concentric left ventricular hypertrophy in male WT mice, whereas ERβ(-/-) females developed dilative left ventricular hypertrophy. The hypertrophic response in female ERβ(-/-) mice was accompanied by the highest degree of collagen deposition, indicating maladaptive remodeling. ERβ(+/+) females showed robust protective p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 signaling relationships compared with other groups. Calcineurin Aβ expression and its positive regulator myocyte-enriched calcineurin-interacting protein 1 were increased in deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt female ERβ(-/-) mice, yet lower than in WT males. Endothelin increased murine cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro, which could be blocked by estradiol and an ERβ agonist. We conclude that a functional ERβ is essential for inducing adaptive p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling, while reducing maladaptive calcineurin signaling in normotensive deoxycorticosterone acetate female mice. Our findings address the possibility of sex-specific cardiovascular therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Gürgen
- Department of Nephrology and Intensive Care Medicine Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Center forCardiovascular Research Medical Faculty, Charite´ Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Kumar S, Lata K, Mukhopadhyay S, Mukherjee TK. Role of estrogen receptors in pro-oxidative and anti-oxidative actions of estrogens: a perspective. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2010; 1800:1127-35. [PMID: 20434525 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2010.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2010] [Revised: 03/23/2010] [Accepted: 04/21/2010] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Estrogens are steroid hormones responsible for the primary and secondary sexual characteristics in females. While pre-menopausal women use estrogens as the main constituents of contraceptive pills, post-menopausal women use the same for Hormone Replacement Therapy. Estrogens produce reactive oxygen species by increasing mitochondrial activity and redox cycling of estrogen metabolites. The phenolic hydroxyl group present at the C3 position of the A ring of estrogens can get oxidized either by accepting an electron or by losing a proton. Thus, estrogens might act as pro-oxidant in some settings, resulting in complicated non-communicable diseases, namely, cancer and cardiovascular disorders. However, in some other settings the phenolic hydroxyl group of estrogens may be responsible for the anti-oxidative beneficial functions and thus protect against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. SCOPE OF REVIEW To date, no single review article has mentioned the implication of estrogen receptors in both the pro-oxidative and anti-oxidative actions of estrogens. MAJOR CONCLUSION The controversial role of estrogens as pro-oxidant or anti-oxidant is largely dependent on cell types, ratio of different types of estrogen receptors present in a particular cell and context specificity of the estrogen hormone responses. Both pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant effects of estrogens might involve different estrogen receptors that can have either genomic or non-genomic action to manifest further hormonal response. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE This review highlights the role of estrogen receptors in the pro-oxidative and anti-oxidative actions of estrogens with special emphasis on neuronal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukhdeep Kumar
- Department of Biology, Indiana Institute of Science Eduaction and Research (IISER), Transit Campus, Chandigarh, India
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25
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Bhupathy P, Haines CD, Leinwand LA. Influence of sex hormones and phytoestrogens on heart disease in men and women. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 6:77-95. [PMID: 20088732 DOI: 10.2217/whe.09.80] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of morbidity and mortality in men and women worldwide. According to the WHO, by 2015, almost 20 million people will die from CVD each year. It is well established that men and women differ not only in baseline cardiac parameters, but also in the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment outcomes of CVD. Women tend to develop heart disease later in life than men. This difference has been attributed to the loss of estrogen during the menopausal transition; however, the biological explanations for the sexual dimorphism in CVD are more complex and seem unlikely to be due to estrogen alone. The current controversy that has arisen regarding the effects of HRT on CVD in women is a case in point. In this review, the sex-based differences in cardiac (patho-) physiology are discussed with emphasis on the impact of sex hormones, hormone receptors and diet on heart disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poornima Bhupathy
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-80347, USA.
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Zwart W, de Leeuw R, Rondaij M, Neefjes J, Mancini MA, Michalides R. The hinge region of the human estrogen receptor determines functional synergy between AF-1 and AF-2 in the quantitative response to estradiol and tamoxifen. J Cell Sci 2010; 123:1253-61. [DOI: 10.1242/jcs.061135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Human estrogen receptors α and β (ERα and ERβ) greatly differ in their target genes, transcriptional potency and cofactor-binding capacity, and are differentially expressed in various tissues. In classical estrogen response element (ERE)-mediated transactivation, ERβ has a markedly reduced activation potential compared with ERα; the mechanism underlying this difference is unclear. Here, we report that the binding of steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) to the AF-1 domain of ERα is essential but not sufficient to facilitate synergy between the AF-1 and AF-2 domains, which is required for a full agonistic response to estradiol (E2). Complete synergy is achieved through the distinct hinge domain of ERα, which enables combined action of the AF-1 and AF-2 domains. AF-1 of ERβ lacks the capacity to interact with SRC-1, which prevents hinge-mediated synergy between AF-1 and AF-2, thereby explaining the reduced E2-mediated transactivation of ERβ. Transactivation of ERβ by E2 requires only the AF-2 domain. A weak agonistic response to tamoxifen occurs for ERα, but not for ERβ, and depends on AF-1 and the hinge-region domain of ERα.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilbert Zwart
- Department of Cell Biology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Renée de Leeuw
- Department of Cell Biology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mariska Rondaij
- Department of Cell Biology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jacques Neefjes
- Department of Cell Biology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Michael A. Mancini
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Rob Michalides
- Department of Cell Biology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Abstract
Objective—
Estrogens have multiple effects on vascular physiology and function. In the present study, we look for direct estrogen target genes within junctional proteins.
Methods and Results—
We use murine endothelial cell lines of brain and heart origin, which express both subtypes of estrogen receptor, ERα and ERβ. Treatment of these cells with 17β-estradiol (E2) led to an increase in transendothelial electric resistance and a most prominent upregulation of the tight junction protein claudin-5 expression. A significant increase of claudin-5 promoter activity, mRNA, and protein levels was detected in cells from both vascular beds. In protein lysates and in immunoreactions on brain sections from ovariectomized E2-treated mice, we noticed an increase in claudin-5 protein and mRNA content. Treatment of cells with a specific ERβ agonist, diarylpropionitrile, revealed the same effect as E2 stimulation. Moreover, we detected significantly lower claudin-5 mRNA and protein content in ERβ knockout mice.
Conclusions—
We describe claudin-5 as a novel estrogen target in vascular endothelium and show in vivo (brain endothelium) and in vitro (brain and heart endothelium) effects of estrogen on claudin-5 levels. The estrogen-induced increase in junctional protein levels may lead to an improvement in vascular structural integrity and barrier function of vascular endothelium.
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Wang Y, Wang Q, Zhao Y, Gong D, Wang D, Li C, Zhao H. Protective Effects of Estrogen Against Reperfusion Arrhythmias Following Severe Myocardial Ischemia in Rats. Circ J 2010; 74:634-43. [DOI: 10.1253/circj.cj-09-0223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- Laboratory Center, Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University
| | - Qi Wang
- Respiratory Department, Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University
| | - Yingnan Zhao
- Center for Disease Control of Heilongjiang Province
| | - Dezheng Gong
- Department of Functional Experiment, Dalian Medical University
| | - Dongmei Wang
- Department of Functional Experiment, Dalian Medical University
| | - Cong Li
- Department of Pathophysiology, Dalian Medical University
| | - Henan Zhao
- Department of Pathophysiology, Dalian Medical University
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Kondo T, Hirose M, Kageyama K. Roles of oxidative stress and redox regulation in atherosclerosis. J Atheroscler Thromb 2009; 16:532-8. [PMID: 19749495 DOI: 10.5551/jat.1255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress is believed to be a cause of aging and cardiovascular disorders. In response to inflam-mation or endothelial cell injury, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is enhanced in vascular cells. These changes contribute to the initiation of atherosclerosis. Vascular cells possess anti-oxidant systems to protect against oxidative stress, in addition to the redox system. The redox status of pro-tein thiols is important for cellular functions. The Akt signaling pathway exerts effects on survival and apoptosis, and is regulated by the glutathione (GSH)/glutaredoxin (GRX)-dependent redox sys-tem. Sex hormones such as estrogens protect against oxidative stress by protecting the Akt signaling pathway but the physiological role of the extracellular GSH/GRX system has not been clarified, although found an increase in the levels of S-glutathionylated serum proteins in patients with athero-sclerosis obliterans. The results suggested that impaired serum redox potential is a marker of the development vascular dysfunction and estrogen has a possible role in the prevention of atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahito Kondo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Disease, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan.
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30
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Mintz PJ, Habib NA, Jones LJ, Giamas G, Lewis JS, Bowen RL, Coombes RC, Stebbing J. The phosphorylated membrane estrogen receptor and cytoplasmic signaling and apoptosis proteins in human breast cancer. Cancer 2008; 113:1489-95. [PMID: 18615623 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.23699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Estrogens play a central role in breast cancer development, and the estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) remains the single most important predictor of breast cancer prognosis. Therefore, it is crucial to elucidate pathways that may contribute to ER signaling in clinical specimens. METHODS Using extracts of fresh invasive ERalpha-positive invasive breast carcinomas, ductal carcinoma in situ, and normal glandular breast tissue, the authors performed Western blot analyses of the membrane-bound ER, 1 of its phosphorylated isoforms, and cytosolic fractions from the same specimens, examining associated proteins (Akt/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways). Western blot analysis and immunocapture for the apoptosis and survival factors Bcl-2 agonist of death (BAD)/Bcl-2 and BAD/Bcl-xL were also performed. RESULTS To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to report that ERalpha was phosphorylated in the plasma membrane fractions derived from patients' invasive breast carcinomas. This was associated with a predominance of phosphorylated BAD and a relative reduction in Bcl-2 compared with both normal tissue and ductal carcinoma in situ, although such studies in fresh tissue did not corroborate these findings. The authors also demonstrated that the BAD/Bcl-2 and BAD/Bcl-xL complexes characterized the invasive carcinoma state. CONCLUSIONS A phosphorylated form of the membrane ER was found to characterize the invasive cancer state. This was associated with a reduction in BAD/Bcl-2 and BAD/Bcl-xl. These data implicate the membrane ERalpha as the in vivo receptor responsible for transcription-independent cellular responses to estrogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Mintz
- Department of Biosurgery and Surgical Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
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31
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Arias-Loza PA, Jazbutyte V, Pelzer T. Genetic and pharmacologic strategies to determine the function of estrogen receptor alpha and estrogen receptor beta in cardiovascular system. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 5 Suppl A:S34-45. [PMID: 18395682 DOI: 10.1016/j.genm.2008.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2007] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The biological functions of estrogens extend beyond the female and male reproductive tract, affecting the cardiovascular and renal systems. Traditional views on the role of postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) in protecting against heart disease, which were challenged by clinical end point studies that found adverse effects of combined HT, are now being replaced by more differentiated concepts suggesting a beneficial role of early and unopposed HT that does not include a progestin. OBJECTIVE We reviewed recent insights, concepts, and research results on the biology of both estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes, ERalpha and ERbeta, in cardiac and vascular tissues. Knowledge of these ER subtypes is crucial to understanding gender and estrogen effects and to developing novel, exciting strategies that may have a profound clinical impact. METHODS This review focuses on in vivo studies and includes data presented at the August 2007 meeting of the American Physiological Society as well as data from a search of the MEDLINE and Ovid databases from January 1986 to November 2007. Search results were restricted to English-language publications, using the following search terms: estrogen, estrogen receptor alpha, estrogen receptor beta, estrogen receptor alpha agonist, estrogen receptor alpha antagonist, estrogen receptor beta agonist, estrogen receptor beta antagonist, PPT, DPN, heart, vasculature, ERKO mice, BERKO mice, transgenic mice, and knockout mice. RESULTS Genetic mouse models and pharmacologic studies that employed selective as well as nonselective ER agonists support the concept that both ER subtypes confer protective effects in experimental models of human heart disease, including hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, and chronic heart failure. CONCLUSIONS Genetic models and novel ligands hold the promise of further improving our understanding of estrogen action in multiple tissues and organs. These efforts will ultimately enhance the safety and efficacy of HT and may also result in new applications for synthetic female sex hormone analogues.
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Booth EA, Lucchesi BR. Estrogen-mediated protection in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Cardiovasc Toxicol 2008; 8:101-13. [PMID: 18683081 DOI: 10.1007/s12012-008-9022-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2008] [Accepted: 07/18/2008] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Before menopause, a woman has a relatively low risk for developing cardiovascular disease. After menopause, however, the risk increases nearly twofold and cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death among women. Observational trials and studies in animal models of cardiovascular disease suggested that females have reduced injury after myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury. However, two large clinical trials, the women's health initiative (WHI) and the heart estrogen and progestin replacement study (HERS), found an increase in cardiovascular incidences in women taking hormone replacement therapy. The discrepancy between these data highlights the need for further research on the mechanism of estrogen in the cardiovascular system. Animal studies have demonstrated protective effects by endogenous estrogen (gender differences) and also by the administration of exogenous estrogen. In vivo studies suggest a possible anti-inflammatory mechanism of estrogen. Exogenous estrogen has been shown to have anti-oxidant activities. Pre-treatment with estrogen prior to myocardial ischemia and reperfusion causes a decrease in neutrophil infiltration into the irreversibly injured myocardium, decrease in C-reactive protein expression, and deposition of the membrane attack complex. This review will summarize the protection afforded by estrogen as well as discuss several possible mechanisms of protection for exogenous estrogen administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin A Booth
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, 1301C Medical Science Research Building III, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5632, USA.
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33
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Morani A, Warner M, Gustafsson JA. Biological functions and clinical implications of oestrogen receptors alfa and beta in epithelial tissues. J Intern Med 2008; 264:128-42. [PMID: 18513343 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2008.01976.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
For the past 10 years it is known that oestrogen functions through the activation of two oestrogen receptors (ERalpha and ERbeta). To the great surprise of endocrinologists, ERbeta was found to be widely distributed in tissues throughout the body including tissues previously considered as 'oestrogen insensitive'. The epithelium of the ventral prostate and lung as well as ovarian granulosa cells are ERalpha-negative but ERbeta-positive and in these tissues ERbeta seems to be involved in important physiological processes, like differentiation, extracellular matrix organization and stromal-epithelial communication. In tissues where both ERs are expressed, the two receptors seem to counteract each other. In the uterus, mammary gland and immune system, ERalpha promotes proliferation whereas ERbeta has pro-apoptotic and pro-differentiating functions. The challenge of the future will be to develop specific agonists, which can selectively activate/inactivate either ERalpha or ERbeta. These pharmaceuticals are likely to be of clinical importance in the prevention or treatment of various diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Morani
- From the Departments of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Novum, Huddinge, Sweden
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34
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Domingues-Montanari S, Subirana I, Tomás M, Marrugat J, Sentí M. Association between ESR2 genetic variants and risk of myocardial infarction. Clin Chem 2008; 54:1183-9. [PMID: 18487282 DOI: 10.1373/clinchem.2007.102400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Environmental and genetic factors contribute to the development of complex diseases such as myocardial infarction (MI), the leading cause of death in men and women. Women develop MI approximately 10 years later than men, a difference that could be explained by the genes coding for the estrogen receptors. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ESR2 gene may affect susceptibility for MI in a sex-dependent manner. METHODS A nested case-control design was used to analyze 3 polymorphisms of the ESR2 gene and their associated haplotypes in 710 myocardial infarction cases from the REGICOR (Registre Gironí del Corazón) study and 2379 controls randomly selected in a representative population of a Spanish cross-sectional study. RESULTS The rs1271572 T allele was significantly more common in patients who developed MI (P < 0.001). No association was observed for rs1256049 or rs4986938. Assuming a dominant model of inheritance, the association, as determined by logistic multivariate regression after adjustment for conventional cardiac risk factors, remained statistically significant in men [odds ratio (OR) 1.65, 95% CI 1.18-2.30; P = 0.003) but not in women (P = 0.754). A very common haplotype encompassing the rs1271572 variant was also associated with the risk of MI in the overall population (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.06-1.87; P = 0.020) and in men (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.12-2.21; P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS The rs1271572 SNP T variant was associated with increased risk of MI in a Spanish population, and this association was found to be limited to men only. Sex differences in the genetic risk merit further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Domingues-Montanari
- Unitat de Lípids i Epidemiologia Cardiovascular, Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
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35
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Sterility and absence of histopathological defects in nonreproductive organs of a mouse ERbeta-null mutant. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:2433-8. [PMID: 18268329 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0712029105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Estrogen signaling is mediated by estrogen receptors alpha (ERalpha) and beta (ERbeta). Although a consensus has now been reached concerning many physiological functions of ERalpha, those of ERbeta are still controversial: When housed and examined in two distant laboratories, mice originating from the same initial ERbeta mutant exhibited widely different phenotypes, which were themselves different from the phenotype of another ERbeta mutant previously generated in our laboratory. Because, in addition to a knockout insertion in exon 3, all these mouse mutants displayed alternative splicing transcripts, we have now constructed a ERbeta mouse mutant (ERbeta(ST)(L-/L-)) in which exon 3 was cleanly deleted by Cre/LoxP-mediated excision and was devoid of any transcript downstream of exon 3. Both females and males were sterile. The histology of the ovary was mildly affected, and no histological defects were detected in other organs, neither in females nor in males. Our present results, which are in contrast with previously published data, suggest that, with the notable exception of male and female reproduction, ERbeta is not required in the mouse for the development and homeostasis of the major body systems.
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Luksha L, Nisell H, Luksha N, Kublickas M, Hultenby K, Kublickiene K. Endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor in preeclampsia: heterogeneous contribution, mechanisms, and morphological prerequisites. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2008; 294:R510-9. [DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00458.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We hypothesized that in preeclampsia (PE), contribution of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) and the mechanism/s of its action differ from that in normal pregnancy (NP). We aimed to assess endothelial function and morphology in arteries from NP and PE with particular focus on EDHF. Arteries (≈200 μm) were dissected from subcutaneous fat biopsies obtained from women undergoing cesarean section. With the use of wire myography, responses to the endothelium-dependent agonist bradykinin (BK) were determined before and after inhibition of pathways relevant to EDHF activity. The overall responses to BK in arteries from PE ( n = 13) and NP ( n = 17) were similar. However, in PE, EDHF-mediated relaxation was reduced ( P < 0.05). All women within the PE group were divided into two subgroups: with more ( group 1) or less ( group 2) than 50% reduction of EDHF-typed responses after 18-α-glycyrrhetinic acid (an inhibitor of myoendothelial gap junctions, MEGJs). The division showed that 1) MEGJs are principally involved when the EDHF contribution is reduced; and 2) when the EDHF contribution is similar to that in NP, the H2O2 and/or cytochrome P-450 epoxygenase products of arachidonic acid (AA), along with MEGJs, confer EDHF-mediated relaxation. In contrast, MEGJs were the main pathway for EDHF in NP. The abundant presence of MEGJs in arteries from NP but deficiency of them in PE was observed using transmission electron microscopy. We conclude that PE is associated with heterogeneous contribution of EDHF, and the mechanism behind EDHF-typed responses is mediated either by MEGJs alone or in combination with H2O2 or cytochrome P-450 epoxygenase metabolites of AA.
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37
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Liu D, Deschamps A, Korach KS, Murphy E. Estrogen-enhanced gene expression of lipoprotein lipase in heart is antagonized by progesterone. Endocrinology 2008; 149:711-6. [PMID: 17974624 PMCID: PMC2219300 DOI: 10.1210/en.2007-0620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Although estrogen has effects on the heart, little is known regarding which genes in the heart are directly responsive to estrogen. We have shown previously that lipoprotein lipase (LPL) expression was increased in female hearts compared with male hearts. To test whether LPL gene expression in heart is regulated by estrogen, we perfused mouse hearts from ovariectomized females with 100 nM 17beta-estradiol or vehicle for 2 h, after which hearts were frozen, and RNA was isolated. The SYBR green real-time PCR method was used to detect LPL gene expression. We found that addition of 17beta-estradiol to hearts from ovariectomized females resulted in a significant increase in LPL mRNA. This estrogen effect on LPL gene expression in mouse heart can be blocked by the estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist ICI 182,780 or by progesterone. We also identified a potential estrogen receptor element (ERE) enhancer sequence located in the first intron of the mouse LPL gene. The potential ERE sequence was linked to a TATA-luciferase (LUC) reporter plasmid in HeLa cells. Both ERalpha and ERbeta stimulated strong activity on the heterologous promoter reporter in Hela cells upon estrogen addition. Both ERalpha and ERbeta activities on the LPL ERE reporter were abrogated by the ER antagonist ICI 182,780. Progesterone also dose dependently inhibited the estrogen-mediated increase in LPL ERE reporter activity. These results show that heart LPL is an estrogen-responsive gene exhibiting an intronic regulatory sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dianxin Liu
- Laboratories of Signal Transduction, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
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38
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Jazbutyte V, Arias-Loza PA, Hu K, Widder J, Govindaraj V, von Poser-Klein C, Bauersachs J, Fritzemeier KH, Hegele-Hartung C, Neyses L, Ertl G, Pelzer T. Ligand-dependent activation of ER{beta} lowers blood pressure and attenuates cardiac hypertrophy in ovariectomized spontaneously hypertensive rats. Cardiovasc Res 2007; 77:774-81. [PMID: 18056768 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvm081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS The biological effects of oestrogens are mediated by two different oestrogen receptor (ER) subtypes, ERalpha and ERbeta, which might play different, redundant, or opposing roles in cardiovascular disease. Previously, we have shown that the selective ERalpha agonist 16alpha-LE2 improves vascular relaxation, attenuates cardiac hypertrophy, and increases cardiac output without lowering elevated blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Because ERbeta-deficient mice exhibit elevated blood pressure and since the ERbeta agonist 8beta-VE2 attenuated hypertension in aldosterone-salt-treated rats, we have now tested the hypothesis that the isotype-selective ERbeta agonist 8beta-VE2 might be capable of lowering elevated blood pressure in ovariectomized SHR. METHODS AND RESULTS Treatment of ovariectomized SHR with 8beta-VE2 for 12 weeks conferred no uterotrophic effects but lowered elevated systolic blood pressure (-38 +/- 5 mmHg, n = 31, P < 0.001 vs. placebo) as well as peripheral vascular resistance (-31.3 +/- 4.6%, P < 0.001 vs. placebo). 8beta-VE2 enhanced aortic ERbeta expression (+75.7 +/- 7.1%, P < 0.01 vs. placebo), improved NO-dependent vasorelaxation, augmented phosphorylation of the vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein in isolated aortic rings (P < 0.05 vs. placebo), increased cardiac output (+20.4 +/- 2.5%, P < 0.01 vs. placebo), and attenuated cardiac hypertrophy (-22.2 +/- 3.2%, p < 0.01 vs. placebo). 8beta-VE2, in contrast to oestradiol, did not enhance cardiac alpha-myosin heavy chain expression. CONCLUSION Ligand-dependent activation of ERbeta confers blood pressure lowering effects in SHR that are superior to those of 17beta-estradiol or the ERalpha agonist 16alpha-LE2 and attenuates cardiac hypertrophy primarily by a reduction of cardiac afterload without promoting uterine growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginija Jazbutyte
- Department of Medicine, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider Str 2, Würzburg, Germany
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Malorni W, Campesi I, Straface E, Vella S, Franconi F. Redox features of the cell: a gender perspective. Antioxid Redox Signal 2007; 9:1779-801. [PMID: 17822369 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2007.1596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species have been implicated in diverse subcellular activities, including cell proliferation,differentiation and, in some instances, cell injury and death. The implications of reactive species inhuman pathology have also been studied in detail. However, although the role of free radicals in the pathogenesis of human diseases has been extensively analyzed in different systems (i.e., in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo),it is still far from elucidated. In particular, the possible role of gender 4 differences in human pathophysiology associated with reactive species is a promising new field of investigation. Although the complex scenario this presents is still incomplete, important gender-associated "redox features" of cells have already been described in the literature. Here we summarize the different aspects of redox-associated molecules and enzymes in regard to gender differences in terms of the intracellular production and biochemical activity of reactive species. These are often associated with the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying several human morbidities(e.g., degenerative diseases) and can represent a specific target for new pharmacologic strategies. Gender differences may thus pose an important challenge for future studies aimed at the clinical management of diseases characterized by a redox imbalance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Malorni
- Department of Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanita', Rome, Italy.
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40
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Maranghi F, Rescia M, Macrì C, Di Consiglio E, De Angelis G, Testai E, Farini D, De Felici M, Lorenzetti S, Mantovani A. Lindane may modulate the female reproductive development through the interaction with ER-beta: an in vivo-in vitro approach. Chem Biol Interact 2007; 169:1-14. [PMID: 17537412 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2007.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2006] [Revised: 04/16/2007] [Accepted: 04/18/2007] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Lindane (gamma-HCH) is a persistent environmental pollutant that may act as endocrine disrupter, affecting the nervous, immune and reproductive system, possibly through endocrine-mediated mechanisms. Since both estrogen receptors (ER-alpha and -beta) have shown to be target for endocrine disruption, we investigated the role of gamma-HCH on the development of female reproductive system. For an in vivo evaluation of gamma-HCH effects during prenatal period, pregnant CD1 mice were treated p.o. on gestational days 9-16 with 15 mg/kg bw/day of gamma-HCH and vehicle. The in vivo findings in treated F1 pups - in the absence of signs of systemic toxicity - included increase in the absolute and relative and absolute uterus weight revealed on post-natal day 22, earlier vaginal patency and reduced diameters of primary oocytes at fully sexual maturity. No effects on steroid hormone metabolism (aromatase, testosterone catabolism) were observed. Thus, gamma-HCH elicited subtle effects on female reproductive development likely mediated by ER-beta-mediated pathway(s), without a concurrent impairment of steroid hormone metabolism. Furthermore, to verify whether the endocrine interference of gamma-HCH is attributable to stimulation of ER-beta-mediated pathway(s), its effect has been evaluated in vitro on a cell line, LNCaP, expressing only functional ER-beta. In vitro treatments revealed a concentration-related effect on LNCaP cell viability and proliferation. Significantly, the contemporary addition of a pure anti-estrogen, the ER antagonist ICI 182,780, completely reversed gamma-HCH effects indicating an ER-beta-mediated action. Our findings indicate that gamma-HCH may act as endocrine disruptor during the female reproductive system development and ER-beta as a potential target for this compound and other endocrine disrupting chemicals as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Maranghi
- Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
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Murphy E, Korach KS. Actions of estrogen and estrogen receptors in nonclassical target tissues. ERNST SCHERING FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS 2007:13-24. [PMID: 17824169 DOI: 10.1007/2789_2006_014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Hormonal effects on classical endocrine target organs such as the female reproductive tract, mammary gland, ovary, and neuroendocrine system have been thoroughly studied, with significant advancements in our understanding of estrogen actions and disease conditions from both cell culture as well as new experimental animal models. Knowledge of the highly appreciated effects of estrogen in nonclassical endocrine organ systems, arising from epidemiological and clinical findings in the cardiovascular, immune, GI tract, and liver, is only now becoming clarified from the development and use of knock-out or transgenic animal models for the study of both estrogen and ER activities. There are considerable epidemiological data showing that premenopausal females (Barrett-Connor 1997; Crabbe et al. 2003) have reduced risk for cardiovascular disease. However, a recent large clinical trial failed to show cardioprotection for postmenopausal females on estrogen-progestin replacement (Rossouw et al. 2002). In fact, the Women's Health Initiative Study showed increased cardiovascular risk for females taking an estrogen-progestin combination. These studies suggest that we need a better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for cardioprotection in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Murphy
- Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Health, 111 Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, 27709 North Caroline, USA
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Luksha L, Poston L, Gustafsson JA, Hultenby K, Kublickiene K. The oestrogen receptor beta contributes to sex related differences in endothelial function of murine small arteries via EDHF. J Physiol 2006; 577:945-55. [PMID: 17038424 PMCID: PMC1890383 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2006.121939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex related differences in cardiovascular function have been reported in oestrogen receptor beta knockout (ERbetaKO) mice. In this study we examined the role of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) in differences in small artery endothelial function between ERbetaKO and wild-type (WT) mice. Small femoral arteries were isolated from ERbetaKO and WT mice and mounted on a wire myograph. Concentration-response curves to ACh were compared before and after incubation with inhibitors of nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2) synthesis. Comparison of the expression of the principal vascular connexins (Cx37, 40 and 43), implicated in EDHF-mediated dilatation were undertaken by immunohistochemistry. Vascular ultrastructure was studied by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. ACh-induced relaxation of arteries (< 200 microm internal diameter) was greater in WT females versus males and was attributable to a greater EDHF component of relaxation. This sex difference was absent in ERbetaKO mice. Arteries from ERbetaKO males (but not females) were more sensitive to ACh compared to WT. The pharmacological evidence and morphological prerequisite for involvement of gap junctions in EDHF-mediated responses was confirmed in male arteries. The absence of ERbeta had no influence on expression of main Cx subtypes within vascular wall or on ultrastructure and morphology of the endothelium. The data suggest that in WT male mice, ERbeta reduces EDHF-mediated relaxation through gap junction communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonid Luksha
- Institution for Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital-Huddinge campus, 14186 Stockholm, Sweden
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43
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Turgeon JL, Carr MC, Maki PM, Mendelsohn ME, Wise PM. Complex actions of sex steroids in adipose tissue, the cardiovascular system, and brain: Insights from basic science and clinical studies. Endocr Rev 2006; 27:575-605. [PMID: 16763155 DOI: 10.1210/er.2005-0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Recent publications describing the results of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and other studies reporting the impact of hormone therapy on aging women have spurred reexamination of the broad use of estrogens and progestins during the postmenopausal years. Here, we review the complex pharmacology of these hormones, the diverse and sometimes opposite effects that result from the use of different estrogenic and progestinic compounds, given via different delivery routes in different concentrations and treatment sequence, and to women of different ages and health status. We examine our new and growing appreciation of the role of estrogens in the immune system and the inflammatory response, and we pose the concept that estrogen's interface with this system may be at the core of some of the effects on multiple physiological systems, such as the adipose/metabolic system, the cardiovascular system, and the central nervous system. We compare and contrast clinical and basic science studies as we focus on the actions of estrogens in these systems because the untoward effects of hormone therapy reported in the WHI were not expected. The broad interpretation and publicity of the results of the WHI have resulted in a general condemnation of all hormone replacement in postmenopausal women. In fact, careful review of the extensive literature suggests that data resulting from the WHI and other recent studies should be interpreted within the narrow context of the study design. We argue that these results should encourage us to perform new studies that take advantage of a dialogue between basic scientists and clinician scientists to ensure appropriate design, incorporation of current knowledge, and proper interpretation of results. Only then will we have a better understanding of what hormonal compounds should be used in which populations of women and at what stages of menopausal/postmenopausal life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith L Turgeon
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Clinical Nutrition, and Vascular Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA.
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Jazbutyte V, Hu K, Kruchten P, Bey E, Maier SKG, Fritzemeier KH, Prelle K, Hegele-Hartung C, Hartmann RW, Neyses L, Ertl G, Pelzer T. Aging Reduces the Efficacy of Estrogen Substitution to Attenuate Cardiac Hypertrophy in Female Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats. Hypertension 2006; 48:579-86. [PMID: 16940216 DOI: 10.1161/01.hyp.0000240053.48517.c7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Clinical trials failed to show a beneficial effect of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy, whereas experimental studies in young animals reported a protective function of estrogen replacement in cardiovascular disease. Because these diverging results could in part be explained by aging effects, we compared the efficacy of estrogen substitution to modulate cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac gene expression among young (age 3 months) and senescent (age 24 months) spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), which were sham operated or ovariectomized and injected with placebo or identical doses of 17beta-estradiol (E2; 2 microg/kg body weight per day) for 6 weeks (n=10/group). Blood pressure was comparable among sham-operated senescent and young SHRs and not altered by ovariectomy or E2 treatment among young or among senescent rats. Estrogen substitution inhibited uterus atrophy and gain of body weight in young and senescent ovariectomized SHRs, but cardiac hypertrophy was attenuated only in young rats. Cardiac estrogen receptor-alpha expression was lower in intact and in ovariectomized senescent compared with young SHRs and increased with estradiol substitution in aged rats. Plasma estradiol and estrone levels were lower not only in sham-operated but surprisingly also in E2-substituted senescent SHRs and associated with a reduction of hepatic 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 enzyme activity, which converts weak (ie, estrone) into potent estrogens, such as E2. Aging attenuates the antihypertrophic effect of estradiol in female SHRs and is associated with profound alterations in cardiac estrogen receptor-alpha expression and estradiol metabolism. These observations contribute to explain the lower efficiency of estrogen substitution in senescent SHRs.
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45
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Regitz-Zagrosek V. Therapeutic implications of the gender-specific aspects of cardiovascular disease. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2006; 5:425-38. [PMID: 16672926 DOI: 10.1038/nrd2032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The manifestations of cardiovascular diseases differ between men and women, as do outcomes after therapeutic interventions. It is important that those involved in drug discovery and development, as well as disease treatment, are aware of these differences because such variations are likely to have an increasing role in therapeutic decisions in the future. Here, I review gender differences in the most frequent cardiovascular diseases and their underlying sex-dependent molecular pathophysiology, and discuss gender-specific effects of current cardiovascular drugs and the implications for novel strategies for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Regitz-Zagrosek
- Centre for Gender in Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease in Women, Charité- Universitaetsmedizin Berlin and Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany.
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Pedram A, Razandi M, Wallace DC, Levin ER. Functional estrogen receptors in the mitochondria of breast cancer cells. Mol Biol Cell 2006; 17:2125-37. [PMID: 16495339 PMCID: PMC1446071 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e05-11-1013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2005] [Revised: 01/26/2006] [Accepted: 02/15/2006] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Steroid hormones have been reported to indirectly impact mitochondrial functions, attributed to nuclear receptor-induced production of proteins that localize in this cytoplasmic organelle. Here we show high-affinity estrogen receptors in the mitochondria of MCF-7 breast cancer cells and endothelial cells, compatible with classical estrogen receptors ERalpha and ERbeta. We report that in MCF-7, estrogen inhibits UV radiation-induced cytochrome C release, the decrease of the mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptotic cell death. UV stimulated the formation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS), and mROS were essential to inducing mitochondrial events of cell death. mROS mediated the UV activation of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and protein kinase C (PKC) delta, underlying the subsequent translocation of Bax to the mitochondria where oligomerization was promoted. E2 (estradiol) inhibited all these events, directly acting in mitochondria to inhibit mROS by rapidly up-regulating manganese superoxide dismutase activity. We implicate novel functions of ER in the mitochondria of breast cancer that lead to the survival of the tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Pedram
- Division of Endocrinology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA
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47
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Morani A, Barros RPA, Imamov O, Hultenby K, Arner A, Warner M, Gustafsson JÅ. Lung dysfunction causes systemic hypoxia in estrogen receptor beta knockout (ERbeta-/-) mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006; 103:7165-9. [PMID: 16636272 PMCID: PMC1459034 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0602194103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) is highly expressed in both type I and II pneumocytes as well as bronchiolar epithelial cells. ERalpha is not detectable in the adult lung. Lungs of adult female ERbeta knockout (ERbeta-/-) mice have already been reported to have fewer alveoli and reduced elastic recoil. In this article, we report that, by 5 months of age, there are large areas of unexpanded alveoli in lungs of both male and female ERbeta-/- mice. There is increased staining for collagen and, by EM, abnormal clusters of collagen fibers are seen in the alveolar septa of ERbeta-/- mice. Immunohistochemical analysis and Western blotting with lung membrane fractions of ERbeta-/- mice revealed down-regulation of caveolin-1, increased expression of membrane type-1 metalloproteinase, matrix metalloproteinase 2 (active form), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases 2. Hypoxia, measured by immunohistochemical analysis for hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha and chemical adducts (with Hypoxyprobe), was evident in the heart, ventral prostate, periovarian sac, kidney, liver, and brain of ERbeta-/- mice under resting conditions. Furthermore, both male and female adult ERbeta-/- mice were reluctant to run on a treadmill and tissue hypoxia became very pronounced after exercise. We conclude that ERbeta is necessary for the maintenance of the extracellular matrix composition in the lung and loss of ERbeta leads to abnormal lung structure and systemic hypoxia. Systemic hypoxia may be responsible for the reported left and right heart ventricular hypertrophy and systemic hypertension in ERbeta-/- mice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rodrigo P. A. Barros
- *Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1524, 05508-900, São Paulo, Brazil; and
| | | | - Kjell Hultenby
- Clinical Research Centre, Karolinska Institute, Novum, S-141 86 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Anders Arner
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Solna Campus, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Jan-Åke Gustafsson
- *Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
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Urata Y, Ihara Y, Murata H, Goto S, Koji T, Yodoi J, Inoue S, Kondo T. 17Beta-estradiol protects against oxidative stress-induced cell death through the glutathione/glutaredoxin-dependent redox regulation of Akt in myocardiac H9c2 cells. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:13092-13102. [PMID: 16549430 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m601984200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The GSH/glutaredoxin (GRX) system is involved in the redox regulation of certain enzyme activities, and this system protects cells from H2O2-induced apoptosis by regulating the redox state of Akt (Murata, H., Ihara, Y., Nakamura, H., Yodoi, J., Sumikawa, K., and Kondo, T. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 50226-50233). Estrogens, such as 17beta-estradiol (E2), play an important role in development, growth, and differentiation and appear to have protective effects on oxidative stress mediated by estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha). However, the role of the ERbeta-mediated pathway in this cytoprotection and the involvement of E2 in the redox regulation are not well understood. In the present study, we demonstrated that E2 protected cardiac H9c2 cells, expressing ERbeta from H2O2-induced apoptosis concomitant with an increase in the activity of Akt. E2 induced the expression of glutaredoxin (GRX) as well as gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, a rate-limiting enzyme for the synthesis of GSH. Inhibitors for both gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and GRX and ICI182,780, a specific inhibitor of ERs, abolished the protective effect of E2 on cell survival as well as the activity of Akt, suggesting that ERbeta is involved in the cytoprotection and redox regulation by E2. Transcription of the GRX gene was enhanced by E2. The promoter activity of GRX was up-regulated by an ERbeta-dependent element. These results suggest that the GRX/GSH system is involved in the cytoprotective and genomic effects of E2 on the redox state of Akt, a pathway that is mediated, at least in part, by ERbeta. This mechanism may also play an antiapoptotic role in cancer cells during carcinogenesis or chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshishige Urata
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Disease, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
| | - Yoshito Ihara
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Disease, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Murata
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Disease, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
| | - Shinji Goto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Disease, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
| | - Takehiko Koji
- Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
| | - Junji Yodoi
- Department of Biological Responses, Institute for Viral Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin, Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8397, Japan
| | - Satoshi Inoue
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
| | - Takahito Kondo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Disease, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
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Dougherty SM, Mazhawidza W, Bohn AR, Robinson KA, Mattingly KA, Blankenship KA, Huff MO, McGregor WG, Klinge CM. Gender difference in the activity but not expression of estrogen receptors alpha and beta in human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Endocr Relat Cancer 2006; 13:113-34. [PMID: 16601283 PMCID: PMC1472635 DOI: 10.1677/erc.1.01118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The higher frequency of lung adenocarcinoma in women smokers than in men smokers suggests a role for gender-dependent factors in the etiology of lung cancer. We evaluated estrogen receptor (ER) alpha and beta expression and activity in human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines and normal lung fibroblasts. Full-length ERalpha and ERbeta proteins were expressed in all cell lines with higher ERbeta than ERalpha. Although estradiol (E(2)) binding was similar, E(2) stimulated proliferation only in cells from females, and this response was inhibited by anti-estrogens 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT) and ICI 182,780. In contrast, E(2) did not stimulate replication of lung adenocarcinoma cells from males and 4-OHT or ICI did not block cell proliferation. Similarly, transcription of an estrogen response element-driven reporter gene was stimulated by E(2) in lung adenocarcinoma cells from females, but not males. Progesterone receptor (PR) expression was increased by E(2) in two out of five adenocarcinoma cell lines from females, but none from males. E(2) decreased E-cadherin protein expression in some of the cell lines from females, as it did in MCF-7 breast cancer cells, but not in the cell lines from males. Thus, ERalpha and ERbeta expression does not correlate with the effect of ER ligands on cellular activities in lung adenocarcinoma cells. On the other hand, coactivator DRIP205 expression was higher in lung adenocarcinoma cells from females versus males and higher in adenocarcinoma cells than in normal human bronchial epithelial cells. DRIP205 and other ER coregulators may contribute to differences in estrogen responsiveness between lung adenocarcinoma cells in females and males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan M Dougherty
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Williard Mazhawidza
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Aimee R Bohn
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Krista A Robinson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Kathleen A Mattingly
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Kristy A Blankenship
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Mary O Huff
- Department of Biology, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY 40205, USA
| | - William G McGregor
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Carolyn M Klinge
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
- (Requests for offprints should be addressed to C M Klinge; )
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50
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Du XJ, Fang L, Kiriazis H. Sex dimorphism in cardiac pathophysiology: experimental findings, hormonal mechanisms, and molecular mechanisms. Pharmacol Ther 2006; 111:434-75. [PMID: 16439025 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2005.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2005] [Accepted: 10/25/2005] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The higher cardiovascular risk in men and post-menopausal women implies a protective action of estrogen. A large number of experimental studies have provided strong support to this concept. However, the recent clinical trials with negative outcomes regarding hormone replacement therapy call for "post hoc" reassessment of existing information, models, and research strategies as well as a summary of recent findings. Sex steroid hormones, in particular estrogen, regulate numerous processes that are related to the development and progression of cardiovascular disease through a variety of signaling pathways. Use of genetically modified models has resulted in interesting information on diverse actions mediated by steroid receptors. By focusing on experimental findings, we have reviewed hormonal, cellular, and signaling mechanisms responsible for sex dimorphism and actions of hormone replacement therapy and addressed current limitations and future directions of experimental research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Jun Du
- Experimental Cardiology Laboratory, Baker Heart Research Institute, 75 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
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