Effects of estrogen and progesterone on plasma platelet-activating factor-acetylhydrolase activity and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration in men.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the effects of estrogen and progesterone on the plasma platelet-activating factor (PAF)-acetylhydrolase activity and lipoprotein concentrations in men.


METHODS
Ten healthy men received 6 days of oral mestranol (0.24 mg/day) followed by 6 days of oral norethisterone (20 mg/day). The PAF-acetylhydrolase activity and lipoprotein profiles were determined in each subject prior to and following mestranol loading and following norethisterone administration.


RESULTS
The mestranol caused a significant decrease in both the plasma PAF-acetylhydrolase activity and the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations of 26.4% and 26.9%, respectively; norethisterone appeared to revert the PAF-acetylhydrolase activity and LDL cholesterol concentrations to the levels observed prior to mestranol loading. In addition, the plasma PAF-acetylhydrolase activity was positive correlated with the LDL cholesterol concentration (r = 0.58, P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study indicate that mestranol and norethisterone exert an effect on the plasma PAF-acetylhydrolase activity in men, possibly by influencing plasma LDL cholesterol concentrations.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan.
A
A
Ohshige
M
M
Ito
H
H
Koyama
T
T
Maeda
T
T
Yoshimura
H
H
Okamura
D043203:1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase; D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects; D045166:Estradiol Congeners / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008656:Mestranol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009640:Norethindrone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010741:Phospholipases A / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects; D045167:Progesterone Congeners / Q000494:pharmacology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D045166:Estradiol Congeners; D045167:Progesterone Congeners; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol; D008656:Mestranol; D010741:Phospholipases A; D043203:1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase; D009640:Norethindrone