REGULATION OF ANGIOGENESIS AND VASCU-LAR CALCIFICATION BY PROGESTERONE (Pg) AND ACETATE OF MEDROXYPROGESTERONE (MPA)

CUTINI, PABLO; CAMPELO, ADRIÁN; MASSHEIMER, VIRGINIA

Buenos Aires

Congreso; LXII Reunión Científica anual de la Sociedad Argentina de investigación Clínica; 2017

Hormone replacement therapy including natural or synthetic progestins is a therapeutic alternative to prevent cardiovascular disease, although the risk/benefit of its use is controversial. The cellular/molecular mechanisms of Pg and MPA displayed at vas-cular level are not fully understood. Vascular calcification (VCa) within atherosclerotic plaque involves vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) transdifferentiation to osteogenic lineage. Furthermore, angiogenesis represents a survival option for damaged tissue. The aim of this work was to investigate the role of Pg and MPA on: a) metabolic/phenotypic changes of VSMC in a pro-calcifying envi-ronment, and b) angiogenesis (capillary tube formation and VEGF synthesis). VSMC were cultured in DMEM for 21 days with 4 mM CaCl2 and 10 mM β-glycerolphosphate to induce VCa. Calcium content in the extracellular matrix and alkaline phosphatase activ-ity (ALP) were selected as markers of osteoblastic transdifferentia-tion. Long treatment with 10 nM Pg showed a significant decrease in ALP activity (239.9±21; 203.6±2.9 x103IU, control; Pg, p