Effects of Sex and 17 β-Estradiol on Cardiac Fibroblast Morphology and Signaling Activities In Vitro.

ABSTRACT: Several studies have demonstrated estrogen's cardioprotective abilities in decreasing the fibrotic response of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). However, the majority of these studies are not sex-specific, and those at the cellular level utilize tissue culture plastic, a substrate with a much higher stiffness than physiological conditions. Understanding the intrinsic differences between male and female CFs under more physiologically "healthy" conditions will help to elucidate the divergences in their complex signaling networks. We aimed to do this by conducting a sex-disaggregated analysis of changes in cellular morphology and relative levels of profibrotic signaling proteins in CFs cultured on 8 kPa stiffness plates with and without 17 β-estradiol (E2). Cyclic immunofluorescent analysis indicate

SUBMITTER: Watts K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8533711 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature