Abstract

A pandemic of obesity is contributing importantly to the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome characterized by hypertension, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia. In turn, the metabolic syndrome is contributing to vascular disease and the accelerating epidemic of chronic renal failure. Currently, pharmacological approaches to attenuate obesity and its cardiovascular/renal sequelae are limited. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 2-hydroxyestradiol, a metabolite of 17β-estradiol with minimal estrogenic activity, on the development of obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and heart, vascular, and renal dysfunction in obese ZSF1 rats, a well-characterized genetic model of obesity and the metabolic syndrome with concomitant heart, vascular, and kidney disease. ZSF1 rats were treated, beginning at 12 weeks of age, for 26 weeks with vehicle or 2-hydroxyestradiol (10 μg/kg/h). At baseline and after 24 weeks of treatment, animals were placed in metabolic cages, and food intake, water intake, urine output, and urinary excretion of proteins and glucose were determined. Next, in fasting animals, plasma cholesterol was measured, an oral glucose tolerance test was conducted, and total glycated hemoglobin levels were determined. At the end of the study, animals were anesthetized and instrumented for assessment of heart performance, renal hemodynamics, and mesenteric vascular reactivity. 2-Hydroxyestradiol attenuated the development of obesity and improved endothelial function, decreased nephropathy, decreased the severity of diabetes, lowered arterial blood pressure, and reduced plasma cholesterol. 2-Hydroxyestradiol may be an important lead for the development of safe and effect drugs to attenuate obesity and its metabolic, vascular, and renal sequelae.