17beta-estradiol exerts a beneficial effect on coronary vascular remodeling in the early stages of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Objective: Estrogens may induce cardioprotective effects and prevent neointima formation in response to vascular injury in vivo. The present study evaluated the effect of 17beta-estradiol on myocardial arterial remodeling and on vascular mitogen-activated protein kinase expression in experimental hypertension.

Design: The experiments were performed in intact female spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), in SHR that were ovariectomized at 10 or 25 weeks of age, and in ovariectomized SHR that were supplemented with 17 beta-estradiol (OVX + E2, 1.