An emerging perspective on sex differences: Intersecting S-nitrosothiol and aldehyde signaling in the heart

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of the death for both men and women. Although baseline heart physiology and the response to disease are known to differ by sex, little is known about sex differences in baseline molecular signaling, especially with regard to redox biology. In this review, we describe current research on sex differences in cardiac redox biology with a focus on the regulation of nitric oxide and aldehyde signaling. Furthermore, we argue for a new perspective on cardiovascular sex differences research, one that focuses on baseline redox biology without the elimination or disruption of sex hormones.

Keywords

• Sex differences
• Heart
• Nitric oxide
• Formaldehyde
• Estrogen
• Testosterone