The Potential of SERMs for Reducing the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) represent a growing class of compounds that act as either estrogen receptor agonists or antagonists in a tissue-selective manner. Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that estrogen has favorable effects on serum lipids and might affect processes at the blood vessel wall to inhibit atherosclerosis. SERMs with the appropriate selectivity profile offer the opportunity to dissociate these favorable cardiovascular effects of estrogen from its unfavorable stimulatory effects on the breast and uterus. This article reviews the data from both animal and human studies that document the cardiovascular effects of SERMs and discusses the clinical implications of these results.