2-hydroxyestrone and Hypercholesterolemia

The effects of 17 beta-estradiol and the important estrogen metabolites, 2-hydroxyestrone (2-OHE1) and 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone (16 alpha-OHE1) on bone, mammary gland, and uterine histology, and on blood cholesterol were investigated in ovariectomized growing rats. Rats were treated with 200 micrograms/kg of body weight/day of each of the test compounds for 3 weeks. Ovariectomy resulted in uterine and mammary gland atrophy, increased body weight, bone turnover and tibia growth, and hypercholesterolemia. 17 beta-estradiol treatment prevented these changes, with the exception that this high dose of estrogen did not prevent hypercholesterolemia. 2-OHE1 had no effect on any of the measurements. 16 alpha-OHE1 resulted in bone measurements that did not differ from the 17 beta-estradiol-treated rats and prevented the increase in serum cholesterol. In contrast, 16 alpha-OHE1 resulted in increases in uterine weight, uterine epithelial cell height, and mammary gland cell proliferation that were significantly less than the 17 beta-estradiol treatment. These findings demonstrate that 16 alpha-hydroxylation of estrone results in tissue-selective estrogen agonistic activity, whereas 2-hydroxylation resulted in no measured activity. Furthermore, they suggest that factors that modulate the synthesis of these metabolites could selectively influence estrogen target tissues.

Topics: Animals; Anticarcinogenic Agents; Body Weight; Cell Division; Cholesterol; Epithelial Cells; Estradiol; Estrogens, Catechol; Female; Hydroxyestrones; Hypercholesterolemia; Mammary Glands, Animal; Ovariectomy; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Steroid 16-alpha-Hydroxylase; Structure-Activity Relationship; Tibia; Uterus

To clarify the mechanism of action of catecholestrogen and catecholestrogen 2-monomethylether on lipid metabolism, the effects of 2-OHE1, 2-MeoE1, 2-MeoE3 and E2-17 beta on serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride levels, beta/alpha lipoprotein ratio, body weights and uterine weights were investigated in five serial experimental systems using normochoesterolemic and dietary hypercholesterolemic female rats those were previously oophorectomized. The results obtained were as follows: 1) In a short term hormone administration experiment using normocholesterolemic rats, 2-OHE1, 2-MeoE1, and 2-MeoE3 showed a serum triglyceride reducing effect as strong as that of E2-17 beta. 2) To integrate the results of the short term hormone administration experiment in normocholesterolemic rats and the results of short term and long term hormone administration experiments in dietary hypercholesterolemic rats, the serum cholesterol reducing activity was in the following sequences; 2-MeoE3 not equal to E2-17 beta greater than 2-MeoE1 greater than 2-OHE1. Hypocholesterolemic activity of 2-MeoE3 was almost equivalent or slightly stronger than that of E2-17 beta, and 2-MeoE1 showed approximately a half of that of E2-17 beta. 3) According to the results of the short term hormone administration experiment, and the long term hormone administration experiment in dietary hypercholesterolemic rats, the serum HDL-cholesterol increasing effect was in the following relation; E2-17 beta greater than 2-MeoE3 greater than 2-MeoE1. Dose dependency was not observed in the serum HDL-cholesterol increasing effect. 4) From the results of the short term hormone administration experiment, 2-MeoE3 had an equal or stronger activity than that of E2-17 beta in serum beta/alpha lipoprotein ratio decreasing effect. 5) In experiment 4 which 2-MeoE3 and E2-17 beta were administered singly or combined with Tamoxifen to the dietary hypercholesterolemic rats, the hypocholesterolemic effect of neither hormone was inhibited by Tamoxifen. On the other hand, the uterotrophic activity of E2-17 beta was slightly, but not significantly inhibited by Tamoxifen. 6) Although E2-17 beta, 2-MeoE1 exhibited a remarkable uterotrophic activity and a slight reducing effect on body weight, neither 2-OHE1 nor 2-MeoE3 had an effect on uterine weight or body weight. Given these results, it was strongly suggested that the effects of catecholestrogen and catecholestrogen 2-monomethyl ether on serum lipids were not m

Topics: Animals; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, HDL; Diet; Estradiol; Estriol; Female; Hydroxyestrones; Hypercholesterolemia; Ovariectomy; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Triglycerides