Study Estrogen Receptors, Blood Pressure.htm

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MEDLINEplus: Study Links Estrogen Receptors, Blood Pressure

- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_5758.html -

 

 

Study Links Estrogen Receptors, Blood Pressure

Reuters

 

Friday, January 18, 2002

 

 

By Suzanne Rostler

 

NEW YORK, Jan 17 (Reuters Health) - Preliminary research suggests that some

people who develop high blood pressure may lack certain key structures that

allow blood vessels to dilate in response to estrogen.

 

The findings could pave the way for new treatments for high blood pressure--a

leading cause of heart disease, Dr. Michael E. Mendelsohn, the study's lead

author, told Reuters Health.

 

Estrogens have long been known to lower the risk of developing high blood

pressure--also called hypertension--and heart disease. Inside blood vessel walls

and in certain cells in the heart, estrogens latch on to two types of receptors:

estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) and estrogen receptor-beta (ER-beta). The

hormone relaxes cells inside blood vessels, allowing blood to flow easily

through the body.

 

However, the hormone had the opposite effect in mice bred to lack ER-beta

receptors, US and Swedish researchers report in the January 18th issue of

Science. According to their study, estrogen made blood vessels in these mice

constrict and caused the mice to develop high blood pressure as they aged.

 

Because estrogen receptors are known to regulate several genes that affect blood

pressure, the findings suggest that taking a closer look at these genes may help

scientists to develop new drugs to treat hypertension, conclude Mendelsohn, from

Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues.

 

Their study is the first to report that these estrogen receptors may play a key

role in the development of hypertension.

 

" The data support that ER-beta and/or genes that it regulates are important to

the regulation of blood pressure, " Mendelsohn said in an interview. " The next

step will be to identify which gene(s) are most important in this regard. This

will provide potential targets for the development of drugs to treat

hypertension. "

 

However, it is not clear at this point which forms of estrogen may be involved

in activating ER-beta to regulate the genes important for blood pressure. Future

studies will also need to identify specific genes that are involved, as well as

tissues in which the most important genes are regulated by ER-beta, he added.

 

In the study, the researchers bred mice deficient in ER-beta, and examined the

ability of their blood vessels to contract. In addition to examining smooth

muscle cells from blood vessels under a microscope, they implanted a device in

the mice that allowed the researchers to continuously monitor the animals' blood

pressure and heart rate.

 

SOURCE: Science 2002;295:505-508.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related News:

a.. More news on Heart Diseases (General)

b.. More news on High Blood Pressure

c.. More news on Hormones

 

--

More News on this Date

--

 

Related MEDLINEplus Pages:

a.. Heart Diseases (General)

b.. High Blood Pressure

c.. Hormones

 

 

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Resources | Home

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Last updated: 18 January 2002

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

CancerAnswer, " mrsjoguest " <joguest@m...> wrote:

 

MEDLINEplus: Study Links Estrogen Receptors, Blood Pressure

- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_5758.html -

 

 

Study Links Estrogen Receptors, Blood Pressure

Reuters

 

Friday, January 18, 2002

 

 

By Suzanne Rostler

 

NEW YORK, Jan 17 (Reuters Health) - Preliminary research suggests

that some people who develop high blood pressure may lack certain key

structures that allow blood vessels to dilate in response to estrogen.

 

The findings could pave the way for new treatments for high blood

pressure--a leading cause of heart disease, Dr. Michael E.

Mendelsohn, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.

 

Estrogens have long been known to lower the risk of developing high

blood pressure--also called hypertension--and heart disease. Inside

blood vessel walls and in certain cells in the heart, estrogens latch

on to two types of receptors: estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) and

estrogen receptor-beta (ER-beta). The hormone relaxes cells inside

blood vessels, allowing blood to flow easily through the body.

 

However, the hormone had the opposite effect in mice bred to lack ER-

beta receptors, US and Swedish researchers report in the January 18th

issue of Science. According to their study, estrogen made blood

vessels in these mice constrict and caused the mice to develop high

blood pressure as they aged.

 

Because estrogen receptors are known to regulate several genes that

affect blood pressure, the findings suggest that taking a closer look

at these genes may help scientists to develop new drugs to treat

hypertension, conclude Mendelsohn, from Tufts University in Boston,

Massachusetts, and colleagues.

 

Their study is the first to report that these estrogen receptors may

play a key role in the development of hypertension.

 

" The data support that ER-beta and/or genes that it regulates are

important to the regulation of blood pressure, " Mendelsohn said in an

interview. " The next step will be to identify which gene(s) are most

important in this regard. This will provide potential targets for the

development of drugs to treat hypertension. "

 

However, it is not clear at this point which forms of estrogen may be

involved in activating ER-beta to regulate the genes important for

blood pressure. Future studies will also need to identify specific

genes that are involved, as well as tissues in which the most

important genes are regulated by ER-beta, he added.

 

In the study, the researchers bred mice deficient in ER-beta, and

examined the ability of their blood vessels to contract. In addition

to examining smooth muscle cells from blood vessels under a

microscope, they implanted a device in the mice that allowed the

researchers to continuously monitor the animals' blood pressure and

heart rate.

 

SOURCE: Science 2002;295:505-508.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related News:

a.. More news on Heart Diseases (General)

b.. More news on High Blood Pressure

c.. More news on Hormones

 

----

----------

More News on this Date

----

----------

 

Related MEDLINEplus Pages:

a.. Heart Diseases (General)

b.. High Blood Pressure

c.. Hormones

 

 

Health Topics | Drug Information | Dictionaries | Directories |

Other Resources | Home

U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike,

Bethesda, MD 20894

Copyright, Privacy, Accessibility, We welcome your comments.

Last updated: 18 January 2002