OBJECTIVES: Lung transplantation is limited by the systemic repercussions of brain death (BD). Studies have shown the potential protective role of 17β-estradiol on the lungs. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect of estradiol on the long-lasting lung inflammatory state to understand a possible therapeutic application in lung donors with BD. METHODS: Female Wistar rats were separated into 3 groups: BD, subjected to brain death (6h); E2-T0, treated with 17β-estradiol (50 μg/mL, 2 mL/h) immediately after brain death; and E2-T3, […]

Surgical neuromodulation therapies are still considered a last resort when standard therapies have failed for patients with progressive heart failure (HF). Although a number of experimental studies have provided robust evidence of its effectiveness, the lack of strong clinical evidence discourages practitioners. Thoracic unilateral sympathectomy has been extensively studied and has failed to show significant clinical improvement in HF patients. Most recently, bilateral sympathectomy effect was associated with a high degree of success in HF models, opening the perspective to […]