神经活性类固醇(即,性类固醇激素和神经类固醇)是神经功能的重要生理调节剂,是神经退行性疾病和精神疾病的潜在神经保护剂。性别是这种影响的重要组成部分。然而,即使月经周期中类固醇性激素水平的波动与某些女性的神经病理学事件有关,在整个卵巢周期中,大脑中的神经活性类固醇模式尚未得到充分研究。因此,我们评估了孕烯醇酮的水平,黄体酮,及其代谢物(即,二氢孕酮,别孕烯醇酮和异别孕烯醇酮),脱氢表雄酮,睾酮及其代谢物(即,双氢睾酮,3α-二醇和17β-雌二醇)在整个大鼠卵巢周期中,以确定其血浆波动是否与中枢中发生的波动相似(即,海马和大脑皮层)和外周(即,坐骨神经)神经系统。获得的数据表明,这些分子的血浆模式通常不能完全反映神经系统中发生的事件。此外,对于一些神经活性类固醇水平,这种模式在两个大脑区域之间以及大脑和周围神经之间是不相同的。的确,除了黄体酮,此处评估的所有其他神经活性类固醇在发情周期中的神经系统波动模式均显示出特殊的区域差异。这些观察结果可能对受月经周期影响的神经病理学事件具有重要的诊断和治疗作用。
Neuroactive steroids (i.e., sex steroid hormones and
neurosteroids) are important physiological regulators of nervous function and potential neuroprotective agents for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. Sex is an important component of such effects. However, even if fluctuations in sex steroid hormone level during the menstrual cycle are associated with neuropathological events in some women, the neuroactive steroid pattern in the brain across the ovarian cycle has been poorly explored. Therefore, we assessed the levels of pregnenolone, progesterone, and its metabolites (i.e., dihydroprogesterone, allopregnanolone and isoallopregnanolone), dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone and its metabolites (i.e., dihydrotestosterone, 3α-diol and 17β-estradiol) across the rat ovarian cycle to determine whether their plasma fluctuations are similar to those occurring in the central (i.e., hippocampus and cerebral cortex) and peripheral (i.e., sciatic nerve) nervous system. Data obtained indicate that the plasma pattern of these molecules generally does not fully reflect the events occurring in the nervous system. In addition, for some neuroactive steroid levels, the pattern is not identical between the two brain regions and between the brain and peripheral nerves. Indeed, with the exception of progesterone, all other neuroactive steroids assessed here showed peculiar regional differences in their pattern of fluctuation in the nervous system during the estrous cycle. These observations may have important diagnostic and therapeutic consequences for neuropathological events influenced by the menstrual cycle.