Scientists from La Trobe University have found that a decrease in the number of estrogen receptors in the heart can increase the risk of obesity in postmenopausal women. Research published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research.
Estrogen is known to play an important role in protecting the female heart. As women enter the postmenopausal period and estrogen levels drop, they are at risk for heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
The scientists decided to investigate what would happen if ERα receptors, the protein molecules responsible for cell sensitivity to estrogen, were blocked. These receptors are located in the cells of the heart responsible for contraction. Blocking the receptors led, among other things, to a decrease in the activity of genes important for the contractile function and metabolism of the heart.
But that wasn’t the real effect. Females began to gain weight and fat mass. However, there was no such change in men.
The scientists found that when ERα receptors were blocked, abnormal extracellular vesicles were released from the hearts of the mice, different from both normal female vesicles and male vesicles. Extracellular vesicles help organs and cells to exchange signals. Biologists suggest it is these changes that cause animal cells to start accumulating energy rather than wasting it.
The scientists noted that women who take drugs that can suppress the ERα receptor are often obese. They hope their discovery will lead to the development of new methods to prevent obesity.