Gender difference in oxidative stress: a new look at the mechanisms for cardiovascular diseases

Gender differences are present in many diseases and are especially prevalent in cardiovascular disease. Males tend to suffer from myocardial infarctions earlier than females, and a woman's risk of cardiovascular disease increases after menopause, suggesting a cardio-protective role of estrogen. However, hormone replacement therapy did not decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease in post-menopausal women; thus, other mechanisms may be involved besides estrogen. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery disease. Gender is also associated with differences in oxidative stress. Under physiological conditions, females appear to be less susceptible to oxidative stress. This may be due to the antioxidant properties of estrogen, gender differences in NADPH-oxidase activity or other mechanism(s) yet to be defined. This review strives to discuss gender differences in general terms followed by a more detailed examination of gender differences with oxidative stress and various associated diseases and the possible mechanisms underlying these differences.