Articles

17β-estradiol effects on human coronaries and grafts employed in myocardial revascularization: a preliminary study

Polvani, Gianluca; Barili, Fabio; Rossoni, Giuseppe; Dainese, Luca; Ossola, Manuela; Topkara, Veli; Grillo, Francesco; Penza, Eleonora; Tremoli, Elena; Biglioli, Paolo

Background: This study was undertaken to compare the in vitro effects of 17β-estradiol on human epicardial coronary arteries, resistance coronary arteries and on arterial vessels usually employed as grafts in surgical myocardial revascularization.
Methods: Coronary artery rings (descending coronary artery, right coronary artery, circumflex coronary artery, first septal branch) and arterial graft rings (internal thoracic artery, gastro-epiploic artery) obtained from human heart donors with heart not suitable to cardiac transplantation were connected to force transducer for isometric force recording. Precontracted specimens with and without endothelium were exposed to increasing concentration of 17β-estradiol (3–30–300–3000 nmol/l) and to vehicle (0.1% v/v ethanol). We also evaluated the effects of 17β-estradiol on vessels before and 20 minutes after exposure to L-monomethyl-arginine and indomethacin.
Results: 17β-estradiol induced a significant relaxation in all precontracted vessels (mean maximum effect: 78,6% ± 8,5). This effect was not different among the different rings and was not related to the presence of endothelium. N-monomethyl-L-arginine and indomethacin did not modify 17β-estradiol relaxant effect.
Conclusion: The vasodilator action of the 17β-estradiol is similar on coronary arteries, resistance coronary arteries and arterial vessels usually employed as grafts in myocardial revascularization.

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Also Published In

Title
Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1749-8090-1-46

More About This Work

Academic Units
Cardiology
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published Here
September 9, 2014