# Fatty acid oxidation in female cardioprotection

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $539,826

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Pre-menopausal women display a significantly lower incidence of cardiovascular disease than age-matched
men. However, the incidence of female cardiovascular disease increases markedly after the onset of
menopause, resulting in a relative loss of protection from heart disease. Decreased levels of estrogen are
closely linked to the loss of cardioprotection after menopause, but the biological mechanisms underlying this
connection are incompletely understood. While we know that estrogen signaling mediates the response to
various pathophysiological stimuli, we do not fully understand how estrogen regulates key metabolic pathways
in the failing heart. In the current proposal, we seek to understand whether relative reductions in cardiac fatty
acid oxidation underpin the loss of cardioprotection in post-menopausal female hearts. In Specific Aim 1, we
will determine how estrogen controls the abundance of GCN5L1, an enzyme that regulates cardiac fatty acid
oxidation. In Specific Aim 2, we will determine how GCN5L1 regulates cardiac fatty acid oxidation in mouse
models of female menopause. In Specific Aim 3, we will determine the requirement for fatty acid oxidation in
female cardioprotection.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10741767
- **Project number:** 5R01HL156874-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Iain Scott
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $539,826
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-12-06 → 2025-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10741767

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10741767, Fatty acid oxidation in female cardioprotection (5R01HL156874-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10741767. Licensed CC0.

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