Menopause Effects on Vascular Function

November 10, 2022 updated by: Megan M. Wenner, University of Delaware

Mechanisms of Vascular Dysfunction in Women: Role of Estradiol

The purpose of the study is to identify the independent effect of estradiol (E2) on endothelin-1 (ET-1) mediated vasomotor function in women. The study is the first step in recognizing the impact of ovarian hormones on the mechanisms that regulate vascular function in women to provide a better understanding of the cardiovascular efficacy of hormone therapy.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women (Roger, Go, Lloyd, Adams, Berry, Brown, et al, 2011). Functional changes in the microvasculature occur with aging and precede atherosclerosis, contributing to CVD (Seals, Jablonski, & Donato, 2011). Furthermore, because of the decline in ovarian hormones during menopause, age-related impairments in endothelial function are exacerbated in postmenopausal women (PMW). However, the safety and efficacy of currently available hormone-based therapies remains controversial (Devi, Sugiguchi, Pederson, Abrassart Glodowski, & Nachtigall, 2013: Miller, Black, Brinton, Budoff, Cedars, Hodis, et al, 2009). Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor produced and released by endothelial cells and implicated in the development of atherosclerosis (Best, McKenna, Holmes, & Lerman, 1999; Donato, Gano, Eskurza, Silver, Gates, Jablonski, et al, 2009; Ihling, Szombathy, Bohrmann, Brockhaus, Schaefer, & Loeffler, 2009). ET-1 binds to two receptor subtypes, ET-A and ET-B (Yanagisawa, Kurihara, Kimura, Tomobe, Kobayashi, Mitsui, et al, 1988). While both receptors are located on vascular smooth muscle (VSM) and cause vasoconstriction, ET-B receptors are also located on the endothelium and cause vasodilation (Gomez-Sanchez, Cozza, Foecking, Chiou, & Ferris, 1990; Haynes, 1995; Ishikawa, Ihara, Noguchi, Mase, Mino Saeki, et al, 1994). In women, ET-1 preferentially binds to ET-B receptors compared to ET-A receptors, supporting findings of sex differences in ET-1 receptor responses and suggesting ET-B receptors are under hormonal control (Ergul, Shoemaker, Puett, & Tackett, 1998; Kellogg, Liu, & Pergola, 2001; Stauffer, Westby, Greiner, Van Guilder, & Desouza, 2010). In animal models, estradiol (E2) reduces ET-1 mediated vasoconstriction and increases ET-B receptor mRNA (Pederson, Nielsen, Mortensen, Nilas, & Ottesen, 2008). Thus, low levels of E2 in PMW may contribute to impaired vascular function through an ET-B receptor mechanism. However, the interaction between E2 and ET-1 receptor responses on regulating vascular function in women is currently unknown.

The long-term goal of the laboratory is to understand the impact of ovarian hormones on the mechanisms that regulate vascular function in women to provide a better understanding of the cardiovascular efficacy of hormone therapy. The study is the first step in reaching our goal; the objective of the study is to identify the independent effect of E2 on ET-1 mediated vasomotor function in women. The investigators will measure blood flow responses to local heating in the cutaneous circulation during perfusion of ET-1 receptor antagonists via microdialysis, coupled with measures of intracellular protein and receptor expression on endothelial cells and skin punch biopsies (to assess VSM cells) collected from young and PMW while controlling ovarian hormone exposure. Young women will be tested after suppressing ovarian production of E2 and progesterone with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRHant), and again after E2 administration; PMW, who are not using hormone therapy, will be tested before and after E2 admin. The central hypothesis is that declines in E2 impair microvascular vasodilatory function due to cellular changes in ET-B receptor expression on endothelial and VSM cells, and that E2 administration reverses these responses.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

48

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Delaware
      • Newark, Delaware, United States, 19716
        • University of Delaware

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Young women between 18-35 years of age with regular menstrual cycles
  • Postmenopausal women between 50-65 years of age and no more than 10 years past menopause
  • Non-smoking
  • BMI < 30 kg/m2
  • Free from known disease (heart disease, cancer, diabetes)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current use of hormone therapy or within the past year
  • Women using Depo-provera or an intra-uterine device (IUD)
  • Pregnant, are planning on becoming pregnant, or are breast- feeding.
  • History of stable or unstable angina
  • Diabetes
  • Neurological disease
  • Lung disease
  • Kidney or liver disease
  • Cancer
  • Hysterectomy
  • Peripheral vascular disease
  • History of blood clots
  • Heart disease
  • Fibroids
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: No to Low Endogenous Estrogen
PMW and young women (YW) will receive medical study clearance after a detailed physical examination. YW will self-administer subcutaneous injections of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist, ganirelix acetate (Antagon, 0.25 mg/day in 0.5 ml of normal saline, Organon, Inc., West Orange, New Jersey,) daily to suppress endogenous ovarian hormone production (16, 17, 18). This will begin following a separate medical screening at Reproductive Associates of Delaware 48 hours prior to initiating the hormone intervention to rule out other contraindications prior to beginning the treatment. YW will begin using the antagonist on days 26-28 of their menstrual cycle, and continue daily for 10-12 days. The experimental protocol will be conducted in YW after 3-4 days of using the GnRH antagonist. PMW will complete the experimental protocol prior to use of the 17β-estradiol (E2, 0.1 mg/day patch, Vivelle dot; estradiol patch).
Other: No to Low Endogenous Estrogen
Ganirelix acetate (Antagon) will be used to prevent endogenous production of ovarian hormones in young women. Ganirelix is derived from native GnRH, and acts by competitively blocking GnRH receptors on the pituitary and subsequent pathways. Thus, administration of the GnRH antagonist (GnRHant) suppresses steroidogenesis, leading to low or undetectable serum estrogen and progesterone concentrations, which occurs within two days of initiation of administration (Oberye, Mannaerts, Huisman & Timmer, 1999; Oberye, Mannaerts, Kleijn, & Timmer, 1999).
Experimental: Estrogen Add-Back
Estradiol (E2, 0.1 mg/day patch, Vivelle dot; estradiol patch) will be administered for 7 days to both young and PMW. Young women will use the E2 over the last 7 days of Antagon administration.
Other: No to Low Endogenous Estrogen
Ganirelix acetate (Antagon) will be used to prevent endogenous production of ovarian hormones in young women. Ganirelix is derived from native GnRH, and acts by competitively blocking GnRH receptors on the pituitary and subsequent pathways. Thus, administration of the GnRH antagonist (GnRHant) suppresses steroidogenesis, leading to low or undetectable serum estrogen and progesterone concentrations, which occurs within two days of initiation of administration (Oberye, Mannaerts, Huisman & Timmer, 1999; Oberye, Mannaerts, Kleijn, & Timmer, 1999).
Other: Estradiol
Short term estradiol administration elicits changes in vascular function in women, and 0.1mg/day patch is the upper recommended limit for hormone therapy in women (Wenner, Taylor, & Stachenfeld, 2011; Moreau, Hildreth, Meditz, Deane & Kohrt, 2012).
Other Names:
  • Vivelle dot

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Vascular endothelial function
Time Frame: 3 years
The capacity of the small and large blood vessels to dilate.
3 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Endothelin receptor expression
Time Frame: 3 years
Venous endothelial cells and skin punch biopsy will be collected and stained for ET-A and ET-B receptor expression
3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Delaware

Collaborators

American Heart Association

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Megan Wenner, PhD, University of Delaware

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 30, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 28, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 28, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

August 2, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 14, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 10, 2022

Last Verified

November 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 385453-18

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Yes

IPD Plan Description

Information will be available through clinicaltrials.gov database within one year of completion of study.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

No later than June 30, 2020

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

upon request

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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