Il Destino delle cellule muscolari lisce vasali è controllato dal genere

Gender differences are detectable in cardiovascular diseases and reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of vascular disease. In this study we aimed to investigate redox state and cell fate in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), which play a role in several cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension and atherosclerosis, isolated from male and female rat (MVSMC and FVSMC), in basal condition and after induction of oxidative stress by UVB radiation. We found that FVSMC have a more favourable redox balance in comparison with MVSMC both in basal conditions and after UVB irradiation. Accordingly, MVSMC are more susceptible to radiation-induced stress and easier underwent apoptosis in comparison to FVSMC which clearly displayed signs of premature senescence and anoikis resistance that can be due to their cytoskeleton-dependent adhesion features and to a higher propensity to undergo autophagy and survival in unfavourable environmental conditions. Moreover, in FVSMC, irradiation significantly increased ER???while decreased ER??expression and we can not rule out the possibility that the increased ER? levels in FVSMC could represent and adaptive mechanism resulting in the anoikis resistance of these cells. These data suggest that VSMC in primary culture can conserve a sort of ‘‘gender memory’’ and that cell sex might determine cell fate. These results could provide useful clues in the comprehension of the gender/sex differences actually detected in the pathogenesis and outcome of some diseases, including cardiovascular ones.