Estrogen and the enzyme COX-2 have more in common than their ability to spark enthusiasm tainted by controversy. It turns out that one recruits the other in the blood vessels of mice. This discovery raises the possibility that COX-2 inhibitors—including Vioxx, which was yanked off the market in September because of cardiovascular risks—might be particularly hazardous to females, especially younger ones whose bodies are still churning out estrogen. The work may also help explain how estrogen production in premenopausal females benefits the heart, a hot-button issue ever since hormone replacement therapy in older women was found to boost heart disease.
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Jennifer Couzin (2004) studied this question.