Abstract
Atherosclerotic vascular disease progresses more slowly in females with functional ovaries than in males. Balloon injury of the rodent carotid artery is widely used as a model for the early injury phase of atherosclerosis. The current study tested whether female Sprague-Dawley rats (SD) have a reduced (compared to males) vascular growth response to balloon injury and whether this response is estrogen dependent. 10 wk old ♂ and ♀ SD rats were either gonadectomized or studied intact. Gonadectomized rats of both sexes were implanted with (1) 15 mm (empty), (2) 10 mm (filled with 17-β estradiol [E]) or (3) 15 mm (filled with testosterone [T]) silastic capsules 3 days before balloon injury of the carotid artery. Two wks later, rats were perfused with 10% formalin at 120 mmHg and carotid arteries were fixed and subjected to morphometric analysis. Intima/media ratios (I/M%) expressed as degree of myointimal proliferative response to vascular injury were (means ± SEM): ♂ + E +T I/M% 132 ± 6 (11) 132 ± 12 (6) 65 ± 11 (6) * 117 ± 19 (7) ♀ +E +T I/M% 82 ± 10 (11) # 133 ± 25 (6) * 38 ± 8 (5) *# 123 ± 29 (5) * p < 0.05 compared to their respective intact controls # p < 0.05 compared to their respective male groups These data indicate that the gender difference in myointimal proliferation after vascular injury is estrogen dependent. These findings have direct implications for the prevention and treatment of vascular disease in human subjects.
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