THE EFFECT OF ESTROGEN ON INTIMAL HYPERPLASIA IN CULTURED HUMAN OVARIAN VEINS

The beneficial effect of oestrogen on blood vessels may include modula tion of vascular response to injury, In this experiment we set out to develop an in-vitro model, using all human materials, for the study of vascular changes in culture, and their response to oestrogen treatmen t. Human ovarian vein segments were obtained from 15 hysterectomy spec imens, and cultured with and without the addition of 17 beta-oestradio l, Paired control veins were cultured with the inert 17 alpha-oestradi ol, The veins were stained with anti-alpha-smooth muscle actin and Mil ler's elastin, and intimal thickness measured, Cultured veins develope d a significant degree of intimal thickening [15.7 versus 8.25 mu m in fresh veins, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 13.6, 17.8 and 6.3, 10.2 r espectively; P = 0.0001]. The addition of 17 beta-oestradiol, but not 17a-oestradiol, led to a significant reduction in intimal hyperplasia (intimal thickness 8.85 mu m; 95% CI 6.9, 10.8; P = 0.008), The mean n umber of nuclei per high-power field was also significantly lower in t he intima of oestrogen-treated compared to untreated veins (11.6; 95% CI 9.9, 13.26 versus 14.05; 95% CI 12.5, 15.6; P = 0.001), Our data su ggest that intimal hyperplasia in cultured ovarian veins is effectivel y reduced by oestrogen.