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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Jun 1.
Published in final edited form as: Hypertension. 2021 May 3;77(6):2117–2126. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.120.16911

Figure 6. Model for the Interaction of MR and ERα in Endothelial Cells to Regulate Microvascular Function in Obese Females.

Figure 6.

Obesity is associated with increased aldosterone (A) in females which activates the MR in endothelial cells (left). MR in ECs decreases ERα mRNA and protein expression in resistance arteries. MR also decreases ERα binding to striatin and impairs estrogen-induced eNOS phosphorylation and the contribution of NOS to microvascular dilation. In EC-MR-KO females (right), aldosterone is increased but cannot bind to MR. Therefore, the microvasculature contains more ERα protein and ERα can interact more readily with striatin. This results in ERα-dependent increase in NOS contribution to vasodilation and prevents EC dysfunction in obese females.