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Hormone therapy affects plasma measures of factor VII-activating protease in younger postmenopausal women

J J Sidelmann1, S O Skouby, F Vitzthum

  • 1Unit for Thrombosis Research, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Niels Bohrs Vej 9, Esbjerg, Denmark.

Climacteric : the Journal of the International Menopause Society
|March 13, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Hormone therapy (HT) increases Factor VII-activating protease (FSAP) levels in postmenopausal women. This rise may explain HT's protective role in coronary heart disease (CHD) for younger women.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Endocrinology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Hormone therapy (HT) shows varied effects on coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in postmenopausal women, potentially protective in younger individuals but detrimental in older ones.
  • Factor VII-activating protease (FSAP), a serine protease found in atherosclerotic plaques, is implicated in plaque stability and CHD development.
  • Reduced plasma FSAP levels may correlate with atherosclerosis progression and CHD precipitation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of different hormone therapy (HT) regimens on plasma levels of Factor VII-activating protease (FSAP) in postmenopausal women.
  • To determine if HT affects FSAP antigen, activity, and ratio over a 1-year treatment period.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 139 postmenopausal women allocated to five HT groups and a control group.
  • Blood samples collected at baseline and after 12 months of treatment.
  • Assays used to measure FSAP antigen and FSAP activity.

Main Results:

  • No significant changes in FSAP measures were observed in the control group after 12 months.
  • Hormone therapy (HT) significantly increased FSAP antigen, FSAP activity, and the FSAP ratio in treated postmenopausal women.
  • Specific increases noted: FSAP antigen (p=0.05), FSAP activity (p<0.001), and FSAP ratio (p=0.01) after 1 year of HT.

Conclusions:

  • Hormone therapy (HT) demonstrably increases plasma FSAP measures in postmenopausal women.
  • The observed increase in FSAP due to HT may contribute to the cardioprotective effects of HT in younger postmenopausal women.
Abstract

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