Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026
Ovariectomy and 17β-estradiol Replacement in Rats and Mice: A Visual Demonstration
Published on: June 7, 2012
Vasoprotective effects of an endothelin receptor antagonist in ovariectomized female rats
Kento Kitada1, Nozomi Yui2, Tatsuhiko Mori3
1Laboratory of Pathological and Molecular Pharmacology, Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka, Japan; Department of Pharmacology, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan.
Aims:
The effects of hormone replacement therapy with estrogen on cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women are still controversial. In the present study, we examined the effects of an endothelin (ET) receptor antagonist (ERA) and/or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) on neointimal formation following vascular injury in ovariectomized (OVX) female rats.
Main Methods:
Female rats were divided into intact female and OVX groups. The right carotid artery was subjected to balloon injury, and harvested 2 weeks later.
Key Findings:
In the intact female groups, treatment with ARB (L-158809; 1 mg/kg/day) for two weeks after the injury significantly decreased neointimal formation, whereas treatment with the ERA (J-104132; 10 mg/kg/day) did not affect neointimal formation. On the other hand, the ERA markedly decreased neointimal formation after the injury in the OVX groups; however, neointimal formation was not significantly improved by the ARB treatment. In addition, the combined treatment with 17β-estradiol (20 μg/kg/day) or the ERA and ARB markedly suppressed neointimal formation after the balloon injury in the OVX groups, whereas no combinational effects were observed due to the combined treatment with 17β-estradiol and the ERA.
Significance:
These results suggest that ERAs have estrogen-like vasoprotective effects on neointimal formation following balloon injury in OVX rats. ERAs may be useful as an alternative therapy to prevent vascular disease in postmenopausal women.
