Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2011 Jul;18(5):347-55.
doi: 10.1111/j.1549-8719.2011.00095.x.

17β-estradiol and progesterone independently augment cutaneous thermal hyperemia but not reactive hyperemia

Vienna E Brunt  1 , Jennifer A Miner, Jessica R Meendering, Paul F Kaplan, Christopher T Minson
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

17β-estradiol and progesterone independently augment cutaneous thermal hyperemia but not reactive hyperemia

Vienna E Brunt et al. Microcirculation. 2011 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: We examined the impact of estradiol and progesterone on skin LH and RH in 25 healthy women.

Methods: Subjects were studied three times over 10-12 days. Endogenous sex hormones were suppressed with a GnRHa. Subjects were studied on day 4 of suppression (study day 1), three to four days later following treatment with either 17β-estradiol or progesterone (study day 2), and another three to four days later, following treatment with both estradiol and progesterone (study day 3). Subjects underwent identical LH and RH protocols on all study days. LH is characterized by an initial peak in blood flow, followed by a prolonged plateau. A brief nadir is seen between the phases.

Results: Blood flow values are expressed as percent maximum CVC. Estradiol alone increased initial peak CVC from 71 ± 2% to 79 ± 2% (p = 0.001). Progesterone alone increased initial peak CVC from 72 ± 2% to 78 ± 2% (p = 0.046). Neither estradiol nor progesterone increased plateau CVC. No significant changes were seen between study days 2 and 3 for either group. No differences were observed in RH.

Conclusions: Both estradiol and progesterone increased initial peak CVC during LH, without altering plateau CVC. There was no additive effect of estradiol and progesterone.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schedule for treatment with study drugs. Endogenous hormones were suppressed with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRHa). Subjects were then treated with 17β-estradiol (E2) or progesterone (P4), followed by treatment with both hormones.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Representative tracing of skin blood flow throughout the protocol. Blood flow is given as percentage of maximal cutaneous vascular conductance (%CVCmax).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Representative tracing of skin blood flow during reactive hyperemia. Measurements for peak hyperemia and area under the curve are indicated. Blood flow is given as percentage of maximal cutaneous vascular conductance (%CVCmax).
Figure 4
Figure 4
A) Initial peak of the local heating response over all three study days given as percent maximal cutaneous vascular conductance (%CVCmax). Initial peak was increased significantly by the addition of the hormones, individually and in combination, following suppression with gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRHa). Values are mean ± S.E.M. for n=11 for Group 1 (progesterone, P4, first) and n=13 for Group 2 (estradiol, E2, first). *Significantly different from study day 1 with GnRHa only, p≤0.05. B) Nadir change in %CVCmax over all three study days. Nadir was increased significantly by the addition of estradiol individually and in combination with progesterone, but was not significantly increased by the addition of progesterone alone. Values are mean ± S.E.M. for n=11 for Group 1 (P4 first) and n=13 for Group 2 (E2 first). *Significantly different from study day 1 with GnRHa only, p≤0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Abularrage CJ, Sidawy AN, Aidinian G, Singh N, Weiswasser JM, Arora S. Evaluation of the microcirculation in vascular disease. J Vasc Surg. 2005;42:574–581. - PubMed
    1. Barcroft H, Edholm OG. The effect of temperature on blood flow and deep temperature in the human forearm. J Physiol. 1943;102:5–20. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bartelink ML, Wollersheim H, Theeuwes A, van Duren D, Thien T. Changes in skin blood flow during the menstrual cycle: The influence of the menstrual cycle on the peripheral circulation in healthy female volunteers. Clin Sci (Lond) 1990;78:527–532. - PubMed
    1. Carberry PA, Shepherd AM, Johnson JM. Resting and maximal forearm skin blood flows are reduced in hypertension. Hypertension. 1992;20:349–355. - PubMed
    1. Chan HY, Yao X, Tsang SY, Chan FL, Lau CW, Huang Y. Different role of endothelium/nitric oxide in 17beta-estradiol-and progesterone-induced relaxation in rat arteries. Life Sci. 2001;69:1609–1617. - PubMed

Publication types