Endocrine Abstracts

Background: This study was carried out to assess the vasodilatory effect of oestrogen in the human pulmonary circulation. The influence of gender upon the response to oestrogen was also assessed.Method: Isolated human pulmonary arteries were studied by wire myography. Vessels were obtained from male (n=6, age 70±9 years) and female (n=6, age 59±9 years) patients. The study was approved by the local ethics committee. Vessels were p...

Testosterone (T) acts as a coronary vasodilator and reduces myocardial ischemia in men with coronary heart disease. We have previously demonstrated that T inhibits the pore forming alpha1c subunit of the cardiovascular L-type calcium channel in HEK293 cells. In this study we investigated the effects of T and 5β-dihydrotestosterone (5β-DHT) on extracellular calcium entry in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). A7r5 cells grown on coverslips in 12-well plates in ...

Low endogenous testosterone is associated with atherosclerosis in elderly men. The aim of this study was to examine the role of the androgen receptor (AR) in the development of atherosclerosis and determine whether an inactive AR coupled with testosterone deficiency, inherent to the testicular feminised (Tfm) mouse, is associated with atherosclerosis following cholesterol feeding compared to surgically-castrated male littermates with AR intact.Ten-week-o...

We have previously shown that Tfm mice which have a non-functional androgen receptor (AR) and low endogenous levels of testosterone exhibit increased fatty streak formation within the aortic root. The aim of the present study was to administer varying degrees of testosterone to these animals in comparison to littermate controls to determine the role of the AR in the anti-atherogenic action of testosterone.Eight-week-old Tfm mice (n=24) and XY litt...