The Impact of Timing, Estrogen Loss, and Caveolin on Cardiac Function Following Acute Sympathetic Stimulation
Faculty Mentor
Cerrone Foster
Mentor Home Department
Biological Sciences
Short Abstract
In estrogen-deficient females, the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) increases with age and menopause. Caveolin (CSD) is a membrane protein that sequesters signaling molecules such as estrogen and modulates protective signaling pathways and mechanisms against cardiovascular disease. Most of the studies examining caveolin in the heart have included male mice. Thus, due to the lack of research on CVD in menopausal women, we wanted to examine the protective role of caveolin-1 in female mice. Female mice underwent an ovariectomy at two and a half months and were then divided into two groups. Group 1 experienced 5-month estrogen depletion, while Group 2 had twelve months of estrogen depletion. Each group was treated with isoproterenol (ISO, 400µg/hr) post ovariectomy via mini-osmotic pumps for three days to induce heart failure and CSD (50 mM) to examine its effects in female mice. Echocardiography, specifically pulse-wave doppler, was used to measure blood flow dynamics and contraction/relaxation times in the heart. Results are forthcoming. However, we observed increased contractility and mortality in the OVX+ISO+CSD groups instead of a protective role as observed in male mice. Therefore, we expect the echocardiography to show a decreased interventricular relaxation time (IVRT), ejection time (ET), and interventricular contraction time (IVCT) for the OVX+ISO group, compared to the OVX group at five months. Also, we expect a greater decrease in these parameters with the addition of CSD. We expect the 12-month OVX groups to have a further decrease in IVCT and IVRT. These findings will aid in better understanding the mechanisms of caveolin on cardiac function in females with estrogen loss and highlight a continued need for sex-specific studies when examining potential CVD therapeutics.
Category
Science, Technology and Engineering
Start Date
5-4-2024 3:30 PM
End Date
5-4-2024 4:30 PM
Location
D.P. Culp Center Room 219
The Impact of Timing, Estrogen Loss, and Caveolin on Cardiac Function Following Acute Sympathetic Stimulation
D.P. Culp Center Room 219
In estrogen-deficient females, the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) increases with age and menopause. Caveolin (CSD) is a membrane protein that sequesters signaling molecules such as estrogen and modulates protective signaling pathways and mechanisms against cardiovascular disease. Most of the studies examining caveolin in the heart have included male mice. Thus, due to the lack of research on CVD in menopausal women, we wanted to examine the protective role of caveolin-1 in female mice. Female mice underwent an ovariectomy at two and a half months and were then divided into two groups. Group 1 experienced 5-month estrogen depletion, while Group 2 had twelve months of estrogen depletion. Each group was treated with isoproterenol (ISO, 400µg/hr) post ovariectomy via mini-osmotic pumps for three days to induce heart failure and CSD (50 mM) to examine its effects in female mice. Echocardiography, specifically pulse-wave doppler, was used to measure blood flow dynamics and contraction/relaxation times in the heart. Results are forthcoming. However, we observed increased contractility and mortality in the OVX+ISO+CSD groups instead of a protective role as observed in male mice. Therefore, we expect the echocardiography to show a decreased interventricular relaxation time (IVRT), ejection time (ET), and interventricular contraction time (IVCT) for the OVX+ISO group, compared to the OVX group at five months. Also, we expect a greater decrease in these parameters with the addition of CSD. We expect the 12-month OVX groups to have a further decrease in IVCT and IVRT. These findings will aid in better understanding the mechanisms of caveolin on cardiac function in females with estrogen loss and highlight a continued need for sex-specific studies when examining potential CVD therapeutics.