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Vascular disease: estrogen suppresses artery-constricting effect of serotonin Estrogen helps lower blood pressure by blocking a key signaling protein that the neurotransmitter serotonin normally activates to promote the constriction of blood vessels. A team from South Korea led by Hana Cho from Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, and Young Min Bae from Konkuk University School of Medicine, Chungju, showed that estradiol, a type of estrogen steroid hormone, spurred a relaxation of serotonin-induced constriction in rat artery tissue, but the effect was not mediated through the estrogen receptor. Instead, the researchers showed in rat tissue and human cells that an enzyme called Src was essential: serotonin increased Src activity in the muscle cells that contract during arterial narrowing, while estradiol inhibited Src function. The findings could help inform future therapies for vascular diseases.