Sex-Related Effects on Cardiac Development and Disease

Overview

Journal J Cardiovasc Dev Dis

Specialty Cardiology & Vascular Diseases

Date 2022 Mar 24

PMID 35323638

Authors

Georgios Siokatas

Ioanna Papatheodorou

Angeliki Daiou

Antigone Lazou

Konstantinos E Hatzistergos

Georgios Kararigas

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Interestingly, male and female patients with CVD exhibit distinct epidemiological and pathophysiological characteristics, implying a potentially important role for primary and secondary sex determination factors in heart development, aging, disease and therapeutic responses. Here, we provide a concise review of the field and discuss current gaps in knowledge as a step towards elucidating the "sex determination-heart axis". We specifically focus on cardiovascular manifestations of abnormal sex determination in humans, such as in Turner and Klinefelter syndromes, as well as on the differences in cardiac regenerative potential between species with plastic and non-plastic sexual phenotypes. Sex-biased cardiac repair mechanisms are also discussed with a focus on the role of the steroid hormone 17β-estradiol. Understanding the "sex determination-heart axis" may offer new therapeutic possibilities for enhanced cardiac regeneration and/or repair post-injury.

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