Long-term effect of 17beta-estradiol and thrombin on tissue factor pathway inhibitor release from HUVEC.

In spite of the increasing evidence that estrogens have protective effects on the vascular system, the evidence that estrogens may contribute to the risk of thrombosis is still being debated. We investigated the effect of 17beta-estradiol (E2) on tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) release from of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). In this study HUVEC were harvested by collegenase treatment and cultured in multiwelled plates with medium 199 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum and antibiotics.