Ostensible link between estrogen levels and cardiac wellness in females exposed
In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Communications Biology, researchers have discovered a significant link between the female hormone oestrogen and the protein annexin-AI (ANXA1), which plays a crucial role in safeguarding the heart, particularly in women with high blood pressure.
The research, led by Dr Chengxue Helena Qin from the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) in Australia, aims to fill a major gap in understanding how high blood pressure and its treatments affect men and women differently. Dr Qin emphasises the urgent need to uncover the distinct mechanisms driving hypertension and its cardiovascular complications in females.
The study reveals that oestrogen helps increase the levels of ANXA1, a protein that plays a vital role in maintaining proper mitochondrial function — the energy system of cells. When ANXA1 is deficient, the heart becomes more vulnerable to damage from high blood pressure, with female subjects showing a greater detrimental effect in studies involving mice[1][3][5].
This biological link explains why women experience cardiovascular disease differently from men, especially under hypertensive conditions. The increased ANXA1 levels promoted by oestrogen help to mitigate heart damage, highlighting a sex-specific protective mechanism in cardiovascular health.
In terms of potential new treatments, research is focusing on developing medicines that mimic or enhance ANXA1 to improve heart protection in women. These treatments aim to boost ANXA1 levels to replicate the protective effects provided naturally by oestrogen. Current efforts involve testing new drugs that increase ANXA1 in animal models to verify if they can prevent heart damage caused by high blood pressure. Future research will also explore whether this protective pathway is relevant for other heart conditions that differ between men and women[1].
Dr Jaideep Singh, another researcher at MIPS, expresses excitement about the potential of these new treatments to enhance ANXA1, providing better protection for women with high blood pressure. The study's goal is essential for developing more effective, sex-specific treatments, as clinical trials have historically overlooked sex-specific responses, leaving women underrepresented and underserved.
It is worth noting that men typically experience a higher incidence of hypertension than women, with this disparity persisting until the sixth decade of life. According to The World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally, with an estimated 17.9 million people dying from CVDs in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths[2].
As the research progresses, the team plans to study how estrogen controls ANXA1 in humans to see if it works the same way as in animals. The findings could lead to new treatments designed to improve heart health in women, such as medicines that mimic ANXA1. This development could potentially save countless lives and revolutionise the treatment of cardiovascular disease in women.
References: [1] Singh, J., Chengxue Helena Qin, et al. (2023). Oestrogen-ANXA1 association protects cardiovascular health in women with high blood pressure. Communications Biology. [2] World Health Organization. (2021). Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)
- The groundbreaking study in Communications Biology, led by Dr Chengxue Helena Qin, investigates the distinctive mechanisms driving hypertension and cardiovascular complications in women, focusing particularly on women's health issues like menopause and chronic diseases.
- The discovery of the link between oestrogen and the protein annexin-AI (ANXA1) has significant implications for health and wellness, as it helps explain the difference in cardiovascular disease presentation between men and women, especially under hypertensive conditions.
- The research team's future work involves studying the human effects of estrogen on ANXA1, aiming to develop new medicines that mimic ANXA1 to improve heart protection in women with high blood pressure, potentially Revolutionising the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in women.
