Fig. 2.

Plasma lipid levels in ERα−/− and ERα+/+ female mice. Fasting lipid levels (mg/dl; mean ± SEM) for total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were determined in non-pooled plasma of ERα−/− (n = 50 samples for each lipid) and ERα+/+ (n = 49 samples for each lipid) female mice on the atherogenic diet for animals ovariectomized (OVX), intact, and ovariectomized replaced with estradiol pellets designed to deliver 6 μg/day (E₂-6) and 8 μg/day (E₂-8). *p < 0.05 versus lipid baseline values (not shown, see text) prior to cholesterol feeding for each genotype; **p < 0.05 versus TC in other treatment groups for a given genotype