Cardiac ischaemic stress: Cardiomyocyte Ca 2 , sex and sex steroids

Abstract

1.Important sex differences exist in ischaemic heart disease. Oestrogen has been conventionally regarded as providing a cardioprotective benefit and testosterone frequently perceived to exert a deleterious effect. However, there is accumulating evidence that argues against this simple dichotomy, suggesting that the influence of oestrogen and testosterone conferring benefit or detriment may be context specific. 2.Cardiomyocyte calcium (Ca 2+) loading is recognized to be a major factor in acute ischaemia-reperfusion pathology, promoting cell death, contractile dysfunction and arrhythmogenic activity. Ca 2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) is a mediator of many of the cardiomyocyte Ca 2+..