Abstract
The role of progesterone (PROG) in the regulation of reproductive behavior is well understood, but a large and growing body of evidence indicates that this hormone also exerts neuroprotective effects on the central nervous system (CNS), i.e. in spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and in the age-related pathological process. Its neuroprotective actions, now well documented by experimental studies, make it a particularly promising therapeutic agent for neuroinjury and neurodegenerative diseases. The purpose of this article is to review recent preclinical and epidemiological evidences that exogenous administration of PROG or its metabolites plays an important role in the CNS. The diverse signaling mechanisms and the dose- dependent neuroprotective actions of PROG are also summarized. Awareness of the pleiotropic effects of PROG may open a novel perspective for the treatment of injuries and diseases in the nervous system. PROG could be produced in the brain by neurons and glial cells in the CNS of both male and female. Laboratories around the world have reported that administering relatively large doses of PROG during the first few hours or even days after injury significantly limits CNS damage, reduces loss of neuronal tissue and improves functional recovery. PROG appears to exert its protective effects by protecting or rebuilding the blood-brain barrier, decreasing the development of cerebral edema, down-regulating the inflammatory cascade, and limiting cellular necrosis and apoptosis. All these are plausible mechanisms of neuroprotection.
Keywords: Neuroprotection, traumatic brain injury, progesterone, neurodegeneration
Current Medicinal Chemistry
Title: Exogenous Progesterone: A Potential Therapeutic Candidate in CNS Injury and Neurodegeneration
Volume: 16 Issue: 11
Author(s): Zhiying Hu, Yan Li, Marong Fang, Maria S.M. Wai and David T. Yew
Affiliation:
Keywords: Neuroprotection, traumatic brain injury, progesterone, neurodegeneration
Abstract: The role of progesterone (PROG) in the regulation of reproductive behavior is well understood, but a large and growing body of evidence indicates that this hormone also exerts neuroprotective effects on the central nervous system (CNS), i.e. in spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and in the age-related pathological process. Its neuroprotective actions, now well documented by experimental studies, make it a particularly promising therapeutic agent for neuroinjury and neurodegenerative diseases. The purpose of this article is to review recent preclinical and epidemiological evidences that exogenous administration of PROG or its metabolites plays an important role in the CNS. The diverse signaling mechanisms and the dose- dependent neuroprotective actions of PROG are also summarized. Awareness of the pleiotropic effects of PROG may open a novel perspective for the treatment of injuries and diseases in the nervous system. PROG could be produced in the brain by neurons and glial cells in the CNS of both male and female. Laboratories around the world have reported that administering relatively large doses of PROG during the first few hours or even days after injury significantly limits CNS damage, reduces loss of neuronal tissue and improves functional recovery. PROG appears to exert its protective effects by protecting or rebuilding the blood-brain barrier, decreasing the development of cerebral edema, down-regulating the inflammatory cascade, and limiting cellular necrosis and apoptosis. All these are plausible mechanisms of neuroprotection.
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Cite this article as:
Hu Zhiying, Li Yan, Fang Marong, Wai S.M. Maria and Yew T. David, Exogenous Progesterone: A Potential Therapeutic Candidate in CNS Injury and Neurodegeneration, Current Medicinal Chemistry 2009; 16 (11) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/092986709787846523
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/092986709787846523 |
Print ISSN 0929-8673 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-533X |
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