title: Effects of androgen on vascular and inflammatory biomarkers in a female hypertensive population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Androgen is a steroid hormone associated with high blood pressure (BP). The effect of androgen on BP in females is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  Androgen, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL)-6 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 were evaluated in females with menstruation disorders (n = 135, 28 ± 5 years old) and normal BP, pre-hypertension, stage 1 hypertension, and stage 2 hypertension.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Normal-BP (n = 57), pre-hypertension (n = 44), stage-1-hypertension (n = 21), and stage-2-hypertension (n = 13) females had similar androgen (3.3 ± 1.5, 2.7 ± 1.2, 3.1 ± 1.4, and 3.5 ± 1.3 ng/ml, p > 0.05) and IL-6 levels (1.7 ± 2.2, 1.9 ± 2.6, 1.3 ± 1.2 and 2.4 ± 3.3 pg/ml, p > 0.05). However, normal BP females had lower MMP-9 (609 ± 307 versus 891 ± 385 ng/ml, p < 0.05) than stage-1-hypertension females. In addition, normal BP females had lower VEGF (166 ± 103 versus 255 ± 139, 272 ± 128 and 301 ± 216 pg/ml, p < 0.05) than the other three groups. In normal-androgen females, VEGF levels were similar among the four groups. However, in high-androgen females, normal BP groups had lower VEGF levels than pre-hypertension, stage-1, and stage-2 hypertension groups (166 ± 94 versus 294 ± 153, 281 ± 160 and 357 ± 253 p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Androgen can modulate growth factors and extracellular matrix proteins, which may contribute to the pathophysiology of hypertension in young females.
authors: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors: Jen-Hung
authors: JH
authors: Huang
authors: Wan-Chun
authors: WC
authors: Chiu
authors: Ming-I
authors: MI
authors: Hsu
authors: Yi-Jen
authors: YJ
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000097:blood*; D008599:Menstruation Disturbances / Q000097:blood*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D015415:Biomarkers; D015850:Interleukin-6; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9