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  • Title: Testosterone addition to estrogen therapy - effects on inflammatory markers for cardiovascular disease.
    Author: Kocoska-Maras L, Hirschberg AL, Byström B, Schoultz BV, Rådestad AF.
    Journal: Gynecol Endocrinol; 2009 Dec; 25(12):823-7. PubMed ID: 19906002.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effects of testosterone addition to estrogen therapy in comparison with estrogen alone on cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women. METHODS: Fifty surgically postmenopausal women were included in this double-blind, placebo-controlled and randomized study to receive daily oral treatment with estradiol valerate 2 mg + placebo (E/P) or estradiol valerate 2 mg + testosterone undecanoate 40 mg (E/T) for 24 weeks and then switched to the other regimen for another 24 weeks. Sex hormones, High sensitivity CRP (hsCRP), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Tissue necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, Insulin-like growth factor binding globulin (IGFBP-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)- 1, and homocysteine were analyzed at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: Estradiol and androgens increased as expected during the treatments. After 6 months of E/P, increases of hsCRP and IGFBP-1 and a decline of VCAM were recorded, whereas IL-6, TNF-alpha, and homocysteine were unchanged. When testosterone was added to estrogen, the increase of IGFBP-1 and decline in VCAM was similar as with estrogen treatment alone. However, testosterone addition counteracted the estrogen-induced rise in hsCRP but had no effects on IL-6, TNF-alpha, and homocysteine. CONCLUSION: Data suggest that testosterone addition to estrogen treatment in postmenopausal women has a modest influence on inflammatory markers and there were no apparent adverse effects. On the contrary, the estrogen-induced increase in hsCRP was suppressed.
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