Sympathetic nerve hyperactivity and its effect in postmenopausal women

Successful reproduction is the result of a myriad interactions in which the ovary and the ovarian follicular reserve play a fundamental role. At present, women who delay maternity until after 30 years of age have a decreased fertility rate due to various causes, including damaged follicles and a reduction in the reserve pool of follicles. Therefore, the period just prior to menopause, also known as the subfertile period, is important. The possibility of modulating the follicular pool and the health of follicles during this period to improve fertility is worth exploring. We have developed an animal model to study the ovarian ageing process during this subfertile period to understand the mechanisms responsible for reproductive senescence. In the rat model, we have shown that the sympathetic nervous system participates in regulating the follicular development during ovarian ageing. This article reviews the existing evidence on the presence and functional role of sympathetic nerve activity in regulating the follicular development during ovarian ageing, with a focus on the subfertile period. Free Spanish abstract: A Spanish translation of this abstract is freely available at http://www.reproduction-online.org/content/153/2/ R59/suppl/DC1. Reproduction (2017) 153 R59-R68

show abstract

“…www.reproduction-online.org compared to premenopausal women (Sherwood et al 2010, Hogarth et al 2011.…”

Section: R64mentioning

confidence: 99%

Ovarian function and reproductive senescence in the rat: role of ovarian sympathetic innervation

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hogarth et al . () showed that MSNA is elevated in postmenopausal hypertensive women when compared with postmenopausal normotensive subjects. However, MSNA in hypertensive postmenopausal women was lower than that in age‐matched hypertensive men, despite a similar level of resting BP (Hogarth et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Sympathetic regulation of blood pressure in normotension and hypertension: when sex matters

Briant

Charkoudian

Hart

2016

Experimental Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

New Findings r What is the topic of this review?Hypertension is a major problem in Western society. Risk of hypertension increases with age, especially in women, who have lower risk compared with men until menopause. This review outlines the sex differences in the sympathetic control of blood pressure and how these mechanisms change with age. r What advances does it highlight?It has recently been recognized that men and women regulate blood pressure by different physiological mechanisms. This is important for both the understanding and the clinical management of individual patients with hypertension. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding how the regulation of blood pressure in hypertension by the sympathetic nervous system differs between men and women.The sympathetic nervous system has a central role in the regulation of arterial blood pressure (BP) and in the development of hypertension in humans. Recent evidence points to differences between the sexes in the integrative mechanisms by which BP is controlled, suggesting that the development of hypertension may follow distinct pathways in women compared with men. An important aspect of sympathetic control of BP is its substantial interindividual variability. In healthy young men, the variability in sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) is balanced by variability in cardiac output and vascular adrenergic responses, such that BP remains similar, and normal, across a severalfold range of resting SNA values. In young women, variability in resting SNA is similar to that seen in men, but the 'balancing' mechanisms are strikingly different; women exhibit greater β-adrenergic vasodilatation compared with men, which minimizes the pressor effects of a given level of SNA. Ageing is associated with increased SNA and a loss of the balancing factors seen in younger people, leading to an increased risk of hypertension in older people. Loss of oestrogen with menopause in women appears to be linked mechanistically with the decrease in β-adrenergic vasodilatation and the increased risk of hypertension in older women. Other important factors contributing to hypertension via sympathetic mechanisms are obesity and arterial stiffening, both of which increase with ageing. We conclude with a discussion of important areas in which more work is needed to understand and manage appropriately the sex-specific mechanisms in the development and maintenance of hypertension.

show abstract

“…Indeed, berberine has been found to have a good safety profile [2,3,5,6,[9][10][11] in patients with pathological conditions characterised by a hyperadrenergic state, such as acute coronary syndrome [13] , heart failure [14,15] , diabetes [16] , hypertension [17] , and menopause [18] . In a murine model, it has been proven that berberine reduces plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline levels [19] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Berberine behind the thriller of marked symptomatic bradycardia

Cannillo¹

2013

WJC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Berberine is used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidaemia and has a good safety profile. We report a case of a 53-year-old sportsman referred to our hospital for the onset of fatigue and dyspnoea upon exertion after he started berberine to treat hypercholesterolaemia. An electrocardiogram showed sinus bradycardia (45 bpm), first-degree atrioventricular block, and competitive junctional rhythm. An ergometric stress test showed slightly reduced chronotropic competence and the presence of runs of competitive junctional rhythm, atrial tachycardia, and sinus pauses in the recovery. After 10 d of wash-out from berberine, the patient experienced a complete resolution of symptoms, and an ergometric stress test showed good chronotropic competence. An electrocardiogram Holter CASE REPORT 261 July 26, 2013|Volume 5|Issue 7|

show abstract

Sympathetic nerve hyperactivity and its effect in postmenopausal women

Abstract: These findings suggest that sympathetic nerve hyperactivity in postmenopausal women may have greater vascular effects than in premenopausal women, and could have implications in the management of EHT in postmenopausal women.

Cited by 30 publications

References 47 publications

Ovarian function and reproductive senescence in the rat: role of ovarian sympathetic innervation

Ovarian function and reproductive senescence in the rat: role of ovarian sympathetic innervation

Sympathetic regulation of blood pressure in normotension and hypertension: when sex matters

Berberine behind the thriller of marked symptomatic bradycardia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About