ObjectiveLysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC), an active component of oxidized low-density lipoprotein, stimulates proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). We investigated the direct impact of 17&bgr;-estradiol (E2) on the proliferation of VSMC from rat aorta.ResultsVSMC derived from both female and male rats expressed estrogen receptors &agr; and &bgr;. Treatments with 1% fetal bovine serum or 5 &mgr;M lysoPC increased the incorporation of [3H]-thymidine in VSMC obtained from female rats. 17&bgr;-E2did not alter the response to fetal bovine serum, but significantly suppressed the enhanced deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis which had been induced by lysoPC in a dose-dependent manner (10−14–10−6M). Estrogen also inhibited the proliferation of VSMC from male animals. ICI 182,780, a specific estrogen receptor antagonist, and 17&agr;-E2, an inactive form of estradiol, also decreased the mitogenic response to lysoPC in VSMC. In addition,N-acetyl-l-cysteine, a potent antioxidant, inhibited the lysoPC effect. Flow cytometric analysis using the oxidation-sensitive probe 2´,7´-dichlorofluorescin diacetate revealed that elevated intracellular formation of reactive oxygen species elicited with lysoPC was depressed significantly by 17&bgr;-E2, ICI 182,780, or 17&agr;-E2as well as byN-acetyl-l-cysteine.Conclusion17&bgr;-E2inhibits in vitro VSMC proliferation induced by lysoPC via a nongenomic antioxidant mechanism.