| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Tostes, Rita C.
[1]
;
Carneiro, Fernando S.
[1]
;
Carvalho, Maria Helena C.
[2]
;
Reckelhoff, Jane F.
[3]
Total Authors: 4
|
| Affiliation: | [1] Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, BR-14049900 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[3] Univ Mississippi, Med Ctr, Womens Hlth Res Ctr, Jackson, MS 39216 - USA
Total Affiliations: 3
|
| Document type: | Review article |
| Source: | AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-REGULATORY INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY; v. 310, n. 1, p. R1-R14, JAN 1 2016. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 14 |
| Abstract | |
Androgens are essential for the development and maintenance of male reproductive tissues and sexual function and for overall health and well being. Testosterone, the predominant and most important androgen, not only affects the male reproductive system, but also influences the activity of many other organs. In the cardiovascular system, the actions of testosterone are still controversial, its effects ranging from protective to deleterious. While early studies showed that testosterone replacement therapy exerted beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease, some recent safety studies point to a positive association between endogenous and supraphysiological levels of androgens/testosterone and cardiovascular disease risk. Among the possible mechanisms involved in the actions of testosterone on the cardiovascular system, indirect actions (changes in the lipid profile, insulin sensitivity, and hemostatic mechanisms, modulation of the sympathetic nervous system and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system), as well as direct actions (modulatory effects on proinflammatory enzymes, on the generation of reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide bioavailability, and on vasoconstrictor signaling pathways) have been reported. This mini-review focuses on evidence indicating that testosterone has prooxidative actions that may contribute to its deleterious actions in the cardiovascular system. The controversial effects of testosterone on ROS generation and oxidant status, both prooxidant and antioxidant, in the cardiovascular system and in cells and tissues of other systems are reviewed. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 13/08216-2 - CRID - Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases |
| Grantee: | Fernando de Queiroz Cunha |
| Support Opportunities: | Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC |