Investigation of the Effects of Estrogen and Progesterone on Gastrointestinal System in Rabbits
Project no. 20651 · Status: Kapanmış (Yayın bekleniyor) · 2019
Summary
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is defined as a disease caused by the passage of stomach contents to the esophagus and characterized by symptoms or signs that can impair the patient's quality of life. The pathogenesis of gastroesophageal reflux disease is not fully known, basically it is accepted that the disease starts from the epithelium. The barrier property of the esophageal epithelium is provided by the resistance of the cell membrane and tight junctions between cells. The physiopathology of reflux is multifactorial. It is known that exogenous sex hormones increase GERD symptoms in clinical studies. In our study, the effects of estrogen and progesterone hormones on esophageal barrier structure and functions were investigated using the Ussing Chamber system in male and oopheroctomized female New Zealand white rabbits. In addition, the effects of estrogen and progesterone hormones on esophageal intercellular spaces and attachment proteins were evaluated and electrical field stimulation was studied in an isolated organ bath in the rabbit whose sacrified and esophagus was removed. While the resistance of normal ringer, weak acid and strong acid tissues increased, a decrease was observed in the tissues treated with strong acid + pepsin. Significant difference was found between males and females in ECAD levels of esophagus tissues. While estrogen female group increased significantly compared to estrogen male group; estrogen + progesterone female group is also significantly higher than estrogen + progesterone male group. A significant difference was found between males and females in PG-E2 levels of esophageal tissues. There is also a significant difference between males and females in the estrogen + progesterone group. Estrogen group is significantly higher in male rabbits compared to placebo group. Estrogen group is also significantly higher in female rabbits than estrogen + progesterone group. In our study, it was observed that the tissue integrity of female rabbits was higher than that of male rabbits. The higher prevalence of reflux esophagitis in male than in female may be explained by the lack of protective effects of estrogen in male. The higher PGE2 levels in male also supports this situation. More studies are needed to fully understand the function of estrogen and its binding proteins and signals.