LAUSR

Women are more resistant to vascular diseases; however, the resistance is reduced after menopause. It has been reported that the risk of vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm is increased in postmenopausal women. Currently, methods to prevent vascular disease in postmenopausal women have not been established. Isoflavones are promising functional food factors that have a chemical structure similar to estrogen. In this study, we investigated the effects of isoflavones on ovariectomized (OVX)-induced degeneration of the aortic wall in mice. Increased destruction of elastic fibers in the thoracic and abdominal aorta was observed in the OVX group, and isoflavones attenuated the destruction of elastic fibers. The positive areas of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in the OVX group were higher than those in the control group. Isoflavones decreased the positive areas of MMP-2 and MMP-9 compared to those in the OVX group. These data suggest that isoflavones have a suppressive effect on OVX-induced degeneration of the aortic wall by inhibiting the increase in MMP-2 and MMP-9.