JBRA Assisted Reproduction 2025;29(Suppl.2 SBRA 2025):188
Poster Presentation
29^th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2025
doi: 10.5935/1518-0557.20263898

P-176. Postmenopausal Hypertension Modulates Peritoneal Cell Secretion and Induces Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Activation

Markus Berger¹, Amanda Wink-Santos¹, Stephanie Lins-Silveira¹, Maria Eduarda Leite Simões¹, Letícia Quandt¹, Pamela Zanon¹, Eduardo Pandolfi Passos¹, Paula Barros Terraciano¹

¹ Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre - Porto Alegre - RS - Brasil

Objective: The increased incidence of cardiovascular disease following menopause is closely linked to estrogen deficiency and its adverse impact on vascular homeostasis. This study aimed to explore how peritoneal factors released in the context of hypertension and estrogen deprivation influence vascular remodeling. Specifically, we evaluated the effects of peritoneal cell-derived mediators from ovariectomized (OVX) and intact spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (KY) on rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (A7r5), with a focus on morphological, proliferative, and migratory responses.
Methods: Peritoneal cell extracts were collected from SHR and KY rats, both intact and ovariectomized. The protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee (number 2019-0001). A7r5 cells were treated with these extracts, and changes in cell morphology, viability, proliferation, and migration were assessed through morphometric analysis, proliferation assays, and wound healing assays. Enzymatic activity of chymase-like proteases in the extracts was measured, and purified chymase was used to evaluate its direct effects on A7r5 cell function.
Results: Treatment with peritoneal extracts from SHR-OVX rats induced pronounced morphological and functional alterations in A7r5 cells, including increased cell spreading (larger area and perimeter), decreased circularity, enhanced viability and proliferation, and significantly elevated migration. Extracts from KY-OVX animals produced similar, though less intense, effects—indicating that estrogen deficiency alone alters peritoneal secretory activity in ways that affect vascular smooth muscle phenotype. Chymase-like enzymatic activity was significantly higher in SHR-OVX extracts, and treatment with purified chymase mimicked the pro-migratory actions of the peritoneal extracts, supporting a direct role for this protease in mediating vascular cell responses.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that the convergence of hypertension and menopause amplifies the release of peritoneal-derived factors capable of modulating vascular smooth muscle cell behavior. Chymase appears to be a critical effector in this context, contributing to phenotypic changes associated with vascular remodeling. This study provides mechanistic insight into how menopausal conditions may exacerbate vascular dysfunction, highlighting chymase as a potential target for therapeutic intervention aimed at mitigating cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women.