Fig. 6.

Cytokine levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of ovariectomized (OVX) female rats with or without 17β-estradiol (E₂) replacement at 10 wk postmyocardial infarction (post-MI). Values are means ± SE; n = 6–11 rats/group. One-way ANOVA was done to compare all groups, and two-way ANOVA was performed for the OVX and MI interaction followed by a Bonferroni post hoc test. OVX × MI interaction: IL-6, F = 5.9, P = 0.024; IL-10, F = 12.5, P = 0.002; and TNF-α, F = 6.2, P = 0.02. MI effect: IL-2, F = 5.9, P = 0.023. OVX effect: IL-10, F = 16.7, P = 0.0001; and TNF-α, F = 12.8, P = 0.00. ^cP < 0.05 vs. the related sham MI group; ^dP < 0.05 vs. OVX-E₂ groups.