Cataract, already a major cause of visual impairment and blindness, is likely to become an increasing problem as the world population ages. In a previous study, we showed that transforming growth factorb (TGF b ) induces rat lenses in culture to develop opacities and other changes that have many features of human subcapsular cataracts. Here we show that estrogen protects against cataract. Lense...

This study was designed to investigate the potential estrogenic effects of perinatal dietary phytoestrogens on the rat uterus. Pregnant rats were divided to three groups provided the following diets: (1) rat chow, (2) rat chow with 7.5% Trifolium (T.) pratense, or (3) rat chow supplemented with 17β-estradiol (0.5 mg/kg). The dams in each group were kept on the same diet during pregnancy and lac...

The effects of in vivo treatment with estrogen and progesterone on isoproterenol-induced uterine relaxation and beta(2)-adrenoceptor (beta(2)AR) mRNA production in non-pregnant rat myometrium were investigated. Whether homologous myometrial desensitization of beta(2)AR function was dependent on or modulated by the two steroids was also examined. Estrogen treatment alone or in combination with p...

The objective of the present study was to further elucidate our previous observation that beta2-adrenoceptor activation induces oxytocin receptor (OTR) expression in rat myometrium. We wanted to investigate whether the mechanism behind this effect was under the influence of gonadal steroids. Ovariectomized non-pregnant rats were treated with estrogen, progesterone or a combination of both for 3...

The ovariectomized (OVX) Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rat fed a low-salt diet is a model of postmenopausal hypertension. In addition to estrogen loss, aging can also contribute to postmenopausal hypertension. We hypothesized that: (1) female DS rats on a low-salt diet become hypertensive with age; (2) ovariectomy accelerates age-dependent hypertension in the DS rat caused by estrogen depletion; and...

BACKGROUND We have developed a rat cell model for studying collagen type I production in coronary artery adventitial fibroblasts. Increased deposition of adventitial collagen type I leads to stiffening of the blood vessel, increased blood pressure, arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Although the source and mechanism of collagen deposition is yet unknown, the adventitia appears to play...

Females are more susceptible to pulmonary arterial hypertension than males, although the reasons remain unclear. The hypoglycemic drug, metformin, is reported to have multiple actions, including the inhibition of aromatase and stimulation of AMP-activated protein kinase. Inhibition of aromatase using anastrazole is protective in experimental pulmonary hypertension but whether metformin attenuat...

Cataract, already a major cause of visual impairment and blindness, is likely to become an increasing problem as the world population ages. In a previous study, we showed that transforming growth factor-beta (TGFP) induces rat lenses in culture to develop opacities and other changes that have many features of human subcapsular cataracts. Here we show that estrogen protects against cataract. Len...

Studies of estradiol and tamoxifen actions to modulate the actions of thyroid hormone (triiodothyronine, T3) in the rat have shown that a subset of estrogen responses require T3 for expression. Also, tamoxifen acts as a partial agonist in estrogen responses that are T3 independent, but acts as a full estrogen agonist in T3-dependent responses. This study examined whether the differing behavior ...