Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Echocardiographic Approaches and Protocols for Comprehensive Phenotypic Characterization of Valvular Heart Disease in Mice
Published on: February 14, 2017
Sex-based cardiac physiology
Elizabeth D Luczak1, Leslie A Leinwand
1Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA. elizabeth.head@colorado.edu
Abstract:
Biological sex plays an important role in normal cardiac physiology as well as in the heart's response to cardiac disease. Women generally have better cardiac function and survival than do men in the face of cardiac disease; however, this sex difference is lost when comparing postmenopausal women with age-matched men. Animal models of cardiac disease mirror what is seen in humans. Sex steroid hormones contribute significantly to sex-based differences in cardiac disease outcomes. Estrogen is generally considered to be cardioprotective, whereas testosterone is thought to be detrimental to heart function. Environmental estrogen-like molecules, such as phytoestrogens, can also affect cardiac physiology in both a positive and a negative manner.
Related Concept Videos
Pathophysiology of Cardiac Performance
Specialized Characteristics of Cardiac Muscles
Cardiac muscle cells are smaller than skeletal muscles, averaging 10–20 mm in diameter and 50–100 mm in length. However, they have large energy demands for continuous contraction and relaxation. This energy is almost exclusively derived from aerobic metabolism of energy reserves in...
Structure of Cardiac Muscles
Compared to skeletal muscles, cardiac muscle cells are small and mostly have a single nucleus. Additionally, they are usually...
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System I:Echocardiography
Indications: Echocardiography is utilized to diagnose heart failure, valve disorders, and myocardial infarction. It also assesses cardiac structures' size, shape, and motion, evaluates...
Imbalances in Cardiac Output
CHF can occur due to the failure of either side of the heart. Left-side failure leads to pulmonary congestion—the right side continues to send blood...
Physiology of the Heart: The Cardiac Cycle
Diastole: The Relaxation Phase
During diastole, all four heart chambers relax. The atrioventricular (AV) valves open, and the semilunar valves close. This phase sees the lowest chamber pressures, promoting ventricular filling. Venous blood enters the heart through the...
