Estrogen and progesterone receptors in vessel walls: Biochemical and immunochemical assays

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the estrogen and progesterone receptor status in arterial and vein walls in women and men. Biopsies from uterine arteries and veins were obtained from 14 fertile and six post menopausal women. Biopsies from saphenous veins were obtained from eight fertile women, 12 post menopausal women and 12 men. Comparative receptor assays were performed with ligand technique and monoclonal antibodies. Immunohistochemical localization of estrogen and progesterone receptors was performed using monoclonal antibodies. The ligand technique revealed estrogen and progesterone receptors in low frequency in the uterine vessels but the monoclonal antibodies showed low receptor level in all arterial and vein samples. There was no statistical difference between fertile and post menopausal women. In the few nuclear fractions examined, both estrogen and progesterone receptors were measurable. Estrogen receptors were found in all peripheral vein samples from fertile women but not in all samples from post menopausal women and men. Progesterone receptors were detected in almost all samples of peripheral veins. There were significant differences with higher levels of estrogen receptors in cytosol and nuclear fraction and of progesterone receptors in nuclear fraction, all assayed with monoclonal antibodies, in uterine veins from fertile women compared to peripheral veins from fertile women, post menopausal women and men, respectively. These data indicate that the hormonal regulation of peripheral vein walls is different than that of the uterine vessel.