Study of the Effect of Testosterone and Estradiol on NP Responses to Acute and Chronic Salt Loading
Status:
Withdrawn
Trial end date:
2016-02-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
There is gender dimorphism in cardiovascular risk, with men at higher risk than women.
However, the fundamental basis for the protective effect of female sex remains unclear.
Recent data implicate the natriuretic peptide (NP) system as an important determinant of
blood pressure. Also, NP levels are twice as high in women of reproductive age than in men,
and gonadal steroids are important determinants of circulating NPs. These are the marked, but
poorly understood differences in the NP status between men and women. The investigators
hypothesize that gonadal steroids regulate NP release, specifically that testosterone
inhibits and estrogen activates the NP axis, leading to differences in both resting NP levels
and dynamic responses of the NP, RAAS, and kidneys to acute and chronic salt loading.
Understanding the basis for gender differences in NP function should provide important
insights regarding mechanisms underlying hypertension in men versus women.