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©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Jun 26, 2014; 6(6): 367-375
Published online Jun 26, 2014. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v6.i6.367
Published online Jun 26, 2014. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v6.i6.367
G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor as a new therapeutic target for treating coronary artery disease
Guichun Han, Women’s Health Division, Michael E DeBakey Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
Richard E White, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Georgia Campus-Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Suwanee, GA 30024, United States
Author contributions: Han G and White RE contributed equally to this paper; all authors have approved the final review of this paper.
Supported by The American Heart Association, Texas Affiliate, No. 7370061; and the Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging, PCOM
Correspondence to: Guichun Han, MD, PhD, Women’s Health Division, Michael E DeBakey Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A and M University, MS 4466, College Station, TX 77843, United States. ghan@cvm.tamu.edu
Telephone: +1-979-8456099 Fax: +1-979-8456544
Received: December 28, 2013
Revised: March 6, 2014
Accepted: April 25, 2014
Published online: June 26, 2014
Processing time: 180 Days and 12 Hours
Revised: March 6, 2014
Accepted: April 25, 2014
Published online: June 26, 2014
Processing time: 180 Days and 12 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: A continuing controversy in cardiology is the impact of estrogen on coronary arteries. This review provides the latest information on the discovery of a novel estrogen receptor in these vessels: the G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER). Recent findings demonstrate that GPER activation induces coronary artery relaxation and attenuates the proliferation and migration of coronary smooth muscle cells. Thus, GPER appears to be a promising, novel pharmacological target that could increase coronary blood flow in diseased arteries and prevent or reverse the progression of coronary atherosclerotic disease, and do so with potentially fewer dangerous side effects associated with traditional estrogen therapy.