Coronary artery spasm: a hypothesis on prevention by progesterone
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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Intracoronary Acetylcholine Provocation Testing for Assessment of Coronary Vasomotor Disorders
Published on: August 18, 2016
1Department of Surgery, Heart Institute of Japan, Tokyo Women's Medical College, Japan.
Abstract:
The mechanism of coronary artery spasm has been hypothesized as follows: the dormant gene of the smooth muscle of the human coronary artery is identical or similar to the active gene of the smooth muscle of ductus arteriosus, but can be activated by estrogen. The activation could be preventable by progesterone. The prevention is due to the reduction of the number of estrogen receptors of the smooth muscle of the coronary artery.
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