Effects of estrogen and the selective estrogen receptor modulator raloxifene on markers of inflammation in postmenopausal women

We measured soluble markers of inflammation in 23 healthy postmenopausal wo men after conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) 0.25 mg, raloxifene 60 mg, or p lacebo, each for 1 month, in a randomized, double-blind, 3-period trial. GE E, but not raloxifene, increased levels of C-reactive protein and matrix me talloproteinase-9 relative to placebo values; however, CEE reduced levels o f cell adhesion molecules to a greater degree than raloxifene.