RESUMO
Recent studies have demonstrated that in mice, the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is expressed in the liver and has a direct effect on the regulation of the hepatic genes relevant for energy metabolism and drug metabolism. The sex-related differential expression of the hepatic ERα raises the questions as to whether this receptor is responsible for the sexual differences observed in the physiopathology of the liver.
Assuntos
Receptor alfa de Estrogênio/metabolismo , Estrogênios/metabolismo , Fígado/metabolismo , Caracteres Sexuais , Ativação Metabólica/genética , Animais , Metabolismo Energético/genética , Receptor alfa de Estrogênio/genética , Feminino , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Inativação Metabólica/genética , Masculino , Camundongos , Reprodução/genética , Fatores Sexuais , Transdução de Sinais , Transcrição GênicaRESUMO
This study shows that lack of ovarian activity has a negative impact on the life span of female mice. The extent to which this phenomenon could be associated with the anti-inflammatory effect of estrogens was analyzed in metabolic organs and aorta, by quantitative analysis of mRNAs encoding proteins in the inflammatory cascade. We demonstrate that the TNFα, IL-1ß, MCP-1, MIP-2 and IL-6 mRNA contents are increased in the liver, adipose tissue and aorta 7 months after ovariectomy (ovx) and this increased basal inflammation is maintained as the mice aged. In contrast, the extent of inflammatory gene expression is directly proportional to age in sham-operated mice. As a consequence, at 22 months, most of the inflammatory parameters examined were higher in the sham-operated group compared with the ovx group. These observations led us to propose that the decreased longevity of ovx mice may be due to an acceleration of the basal state of inflammation in metabolic organs, which is likely driven by the combination of a lack of estrogen-mediated anti-inflammatory activity and the loss of gonadal control of energy metabolism.