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Scheggi S, Concas L, Corsi S, Carta M, Melis M, Frau R. Expanding the therapeutic potential of neuro(active)steroids: a promising strategy for hyperdopaminergic behavioral phenotypes. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 164:105842. [PMID: 39103066 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Imbalances in dopamine activity significantly contribute to the pathophysiology of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including addiction, ADHD, schizophrenia, impulse control disorders, and Parkinson's Disease. Neuro(active)steroids, comprising endogenous steroids that finely modulate neuronal activity, are considered crucial regulators of brain function and behavior, with implications in various physiological processes and pathological conditions. Specifically, subclasses of Neuro(active)steroids belonging to the 5α reductase pathway are prominently involved in brain disorders characterized by dopaminergic signaling imbalances. This review highlights the neuromodulatory effects of Neuro(active)steroids on the dopamine system and related aberrant behavioral phenotypes. We critically appraise the role of pregnenolone, progesterone, and allopregnanolone on dopamine signaling. Additionally, we discuss the impact of pharmacological interventions targeting 5α reductase activity in neuropsychiatric conditions characterized by excessive activation of the dopaminergic system, ranging from psychotic (endo)phenotypes and motor complications to decision-making problems and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Scheggi
- Dept. of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Italy
| | - Luca Concas
- Dept. Of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Italy
| | - Sara Corsi
- Dept. of Developmental and Regenerative Neurobiology, Lund University, Sweden
| | - Manolo Carta
- Dept. Of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Italy
| | - Miriam Melis
- Dept. Of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Italy
| | - Roberto Frau
- Dept. Of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Italy; Guy Everett Laboratory, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
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2
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Mensah-Nyagan AG, Meyer L, Patte-Mensah C. Modulatory role of neurosteroidogenesis in the spinal cord during peripheral nerve injury-induced chronic pain. Front Neuroendocrinol 2024; 72:101116. [PMID: 38182090 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
The brain and spinal cord (SC) are both targeted by various hormones, including steroid hormones. However, investigations of the modulatory role of hormones on neurobiological functions usually focus only on the brain. The SC received little attention although this structure pivotally controls motor and sensory functions. Here, we critically reviewed key data showing that the process of neurosteroid biosynthesis or neurosteroidogenesis occurring in the SC plays a pivotal role in the modulation of peripheral nerve injury-induced chronic pain (PNICP) or neuropathic pain. Indeed, several active steroidogenic enzymes expressed in the SC produce endogenous neurosteroids that interact with receptors of neurotransmitters controlling pain. The spinal neurosteroidogenesis is differentially regulated during PNICP condition and its blockade modifies painful sensations. The paper suggests that future investigations aiming to develop effective strategies against PNICP or neuropathic pain must integrate in a gender or sex dependent manner the regulatory effects exerted by spinal neurosteroidogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayikoe-Guy Mensah-Nyagan
- Biopathologie de la Myéline, Neuroprotection et Stratégies Thérapeutiques, INSERM U1119, Université de Strasbourg, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg (FMTS), Bâtiment CRBS de la Faculté de Médecine, 1 rue Eugène Boeckel, 67 000 Strasbourg, France.
| | - Laurence Meyer
- Biopathologie de la Myéline, Neuroprotection et Stratégies Thérapeutiques, INSERM U1119, Université de Strasbourg, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg (FMTS), Bâtiment CRBS de la Faculté de Médecine, 1 rue Eugène Boeckel, 67 000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Christine Patte-Mensah
- Biopathologie de la Myéline, Neuroprotection et Stratégies Thérapeutiques, INSERM U1119, Université de Strasbourg, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg (FMTS), Bâtiment CRBS de la Faculté de Médecine, 1 rue Eugène Boeckel, 67 000 Strasbourg, France
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3
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Androgens and NGF Mediate the Neurite-Outgrowth through Inactivation of RhoA. Cells 2023; 12:cells12030373. [PMID: 36766714 PMCID: PMC9913450 DOI: 10.3390/cells12030373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Steroid hormones and growth factors control neuritogenesis through their cognate receptors under physiological and pathological conditions. We have already shown that nerve growth factor and androgens induce neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells through a reciprocal crosstalk between the NGF receptor, TrkA and the androgen receptor. Here, we report that androgens or NGF induce neuritogenesis in PC12 cells through inactivation of RhoA. Ectopic expression of the dominant negative RhoA N19 promotes, indeed, the neurite-elongation of unchallenged and androgen- or NGF-challenged PC12 cells and the increase in the expression levels of βIII tubulin, a specific neuronal marker. Pharmacological inhibition of the Ser/Thr kinase ROCK, an RhoA effector, induces neuritogenesis in unchallenged PC12 cells, and potentiates the effect of androgens and NGF, confirming the role of RhoA/ROCK axis in the neuritogenesis induced by androgen and NGF, through the phosphorylation of Akt. These findings suggest that therapies based on new selective androgen receptor modulators and/or RhoA/ROCK inhibitors might exert beneficial effects in the treatment of neuro-disorders, neurological diseases and ageing-related processes.
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Fernandez N, Petit A, Pianos A, Haddad L, Schumacher M, Liere P, Guennoun R. Aging Is Associated With Lower Neuroactive Steroids and Worsened Outcomes Following Cerebral Ischemia in Male Mice. Endocrinology 2022; 164:6779564. [PMID: 36306407 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqac183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of disability and death, and aging is the main nonmodifiable risk factor. Following ischemia, neuroactive steroids have been shown to play a key role in cerebroprotection. Thus, brain steroid concentrations at the time of injury as well as their regulation after stroke are key factors to consider. Here, we investigated the effects of age and cerebral ischemia on steroid levels, behavioral outcomes, and neuronal degeneration in 3- and 18-month-old C57BL/6JRj male mice. Ischemia was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion for 1 hour followed by reperfusion (MCAO/R) and analyses were performed at 6 hours after MCAO. Extended steroid profiles established by gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry revealed that (1) brain and plasma concentrations of the main 5α-reduced metabolites of progesterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, and corticosterone were lower in old than in young mice; (2) after MCAO/R, brain concentrations of progesterone, 5α-dihydroprogesterone, and corticosterone increased in young mice; and (3) after MCAO/R, brain concentrations of 5α-reduced metabolites of progesterone, 3α5α-tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone, and 3β5α-tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone were lower in old than in young mice. After ischemia, old mice showed increased sensori-motor deficits and more degenerating neurons in the striatum than young mice. Altogether, these findings strongly suggest that the decreased capacity of old mice to metabolize steroids toward the 5α-reduction pathway comparatively to young mice may contribute to the worsening of their stroke outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neïké Fernandez
- U1195 Inserm and University Paris-Saclay, 94276 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Anthony Petit
- U1195 Inserm and University Paris-Saclay, 94276 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Antoine Pianos
- U1195 Inserm and University Paris-Saclay, 94276 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Léna Haddad
- U1195 Inserm and University Paris-Saclay, 94276 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Michael Schumacher
- U1195 Inserm and University Paris-Saclay, 94276 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Philippe Liere
- U1195 Inserm and University Paris-Saclay, 94276 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Rachida Guennoun
- U1195 Inserm and University Paris-Saclay, 94276 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
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5
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Poirier AA, Côté M, Jarras H, Litim N, Lamontagne-Proulx J, Al-Sweidi S, Morissette M, Lachhab A, Pelletier M, Di Paolo T, Soulet D. Peripheral Neuroprotective and Immunomodulatory Effects of 5α-Reductase Inhibitors in Parkinson's Disease Models. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:898067. [PMID: 35935876 PMCID: PMC9355275 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.898067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal disorders in Parkinson's disease (PD) have been associated with neuronal alteration in the plexus of the gut. We previously demonstrated the immunomodulatory effect of female hormones to treat enteric neurodegeneration in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of PD. This study made the hypothesis of obtaining similar neuroprotection as with hormone treatments by affecting steroidogenesis with two 5α-reductase inhibitors, finasteride and dutasteride. These drugs are approved to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia and alopecia and display mitochondrial effects. In MPTP-treated mice, the dopaminergic and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) neurons alteration was prevented by finasteride and dutasteride, while the increase in proinflammatory macrophages density was inhibited by dutasteride treatment but not finasteride. NF-κB response, oxidative stress, and nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokines production in vitro were only prevented by dutasteride. In addition, mitochondrial production of free radicals, membrane depolarization, decreased basal respiration, and ATP production were inhibited by dutasteride, while finasteride had no effect. In conclusion, the present results indicate that dutasteride treatment prevents enteric neuronal damages in the MPTP mouse model, at least in part through anti-inflammatory and mitochondrial effects. This suggests that drug repurposing of dutasteride might be a promising avenue to treat enteric neuroinflammation in early PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrée-Anne Poirier
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Mélissa Côté
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Hend Jarras
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Nadhir Litim
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Jérôme Lamontagne-Proulx
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Sara Al-Sweidi
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Marc Morissette
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Asmaa Lachhab
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Martin Pelletier
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Thérèse Di Paolo
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Denis Soulet
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Institut sur la Nutrition et les Aliments Fonctionnels (INAF), Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
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6
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent affecting up to 33.7% of people over a lifetime. Although many treatment options are available, they are often associated with unacceptable side-effect profiles and approximately one in three patients are treatment resistant. Allopregnanolone, a neuroactive steroid acting as a positive allosteric modulator at the GABAA receptor, is synthesised in response to stress and acts to negatively modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. FINDINGS After chronic exposure to and withdrawal from allopregnanolone, an increase in α4β2δ GABAA receptors results in a reduced inhibitory effect of allopregnanolone, resulting in decreased inhibition and, therefore, increased neuronal excitability. The relationship between allopregnanolone and increased α4β2δ GABAA receptors has been demonstrated in animal models during methamphetamine withdrawal and puberty, events both associated with stress. The effect of allopregnanolone during these events is anxiogenic, a paradoxical action to its usual anxiolytic effects. Flumazenil, the GABAA receptor antagonist, has been shown to cause receptor internalisation of α4β2δ GABAA receptors, which may results in anxiolysis. CONCLUSION We propose that chronic stress and chronic exposure to and withdrawal from allopregnanolone in anxiety disorders result in alterations in GABAA receptor function, which can be corrected by flumazenil. As such, flumazenil may exhibit anxiolytic properties in patients with increased α4β2δ GABAA receptor expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T Gallo
- Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Gary K Hulse
- Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia.,Fresh Start Recovery Programme, Subiaco, WA, Australia
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7
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Mondragón JA, Serrano Y, Torres A, Orozco M, Segovia J, Manjarrez G, Romano MC. Glioblastoma cells express crucial enzymes involved in androgen synthesis: 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, 17-20α-hydroxylase, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 5α-reductase. ENDOCRINOLOGY DIABETES & METABOLISM 2021; 4:e00289. [PMID: 34505421 PMCID: PMC8502219 DOI: 10.1002/edm2.289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumour in adult humans. Therapeutic resistance and tumour recurrence after surgical removal contribute to poor prognosis for glioblastoma patients. Men are known to be more likely than women to develop an aggressive form of GB, and differences in sex steroids have emerged as a leading explanation for this finding. Studies indicate that the metabolism and proliferation of GB‐derived cells are increased by sex steroids, the expression of androgen receptors (ARs) and the synthesis of androgens and oestrogens, suggesting that these hormones have a role in the tumour pathogenesis. The expression of aromatase, the enzyme that converts androgens to oestrogens, has been reported in glial cells and GB cell lines. Thus, it was necessary to test whether the steroidogenic enzymes involved in androgen synthesis are expressed in GB cells. Therefore, here, we investigated the expression of four key enzymes involved in androgen synthesis in human‐derived GB cells. U87 cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium plus foetal bovine serum and antibiotics on slides for immunocytochemistry or immunofluorescence. U87, LN229 and C6 cells were also cultured in multi‐well chambers to obtain proteins for Western blotting. We used primary antibodies against 3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β‐HSD), 17α‐hydroxilase/17,20‐lyase (P450c17), 17β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β‐HSD) and 5α‐reductase. Immunocytochemistry, and immunofluorescence results revealed that glioblastoma cells express 3β‐HSD, P450c17, 17β‐HSD and 5α‐reductase proteins in their cytoplasm. Moreover, Western blot analyses revealed bands corresponding to the molecular weight of these four enzymes in the three GB cell lines. Thus, glioblastoma cells have the key enzymatic machinery necessary to synthesize androgens, and these enzymes might be useful targets for new therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Antonio Mondragón
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico.,Unidad de Enfermedades Neurológicas, Hospital de Especialidades, México City, México
| | - Yesenia Serrano
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Andrea Torres
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Martin Orozco
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Jose Segovia
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Gabriel Manjarrez
- Unidad de Enfermedades Neurológicas, Hospital de Especialidades, México City, México
| | - Marta Catalina Romano
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
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8
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Guennoun R. Progesterone in the Brain: Hormone, Neurosteroid and Neuroprotectant. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21155271. [PMID: 32722286 PMCID: PMC7432434 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21155271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Progesterone has a broad spectrum of actions in the brain. Among these, the neuroprotective effects are well documented. Progesterone neural effects are mediated by multiple signaling pathways involving binding to specific receptors (intracellular progesterone receptors (PR); membrane-associated progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1); and membrane progesterone receptors (mPRs)) and local bioconversion to 3α,5α-tetrahydroprogesterone (3α,5α-THPROG), which modulates GABAA receptors. This brief review aims to give an overview of the synthesis, metabolism, neuroprotective effects, and mechanism of action of progesterone in the rodent and human brain. First, we succinctly describe the biosynthetic pathways and the expression of enzymes and receptors of progesterone; as well as the changes observed after brain injuries and in neurological diseases. Then, we summarize current data on the differential fluctuations in brain levels of progesterone and its neuroactive metabolites according to sex, age, and neuropathological conditions. The third part is devoted to the neuroprotective effects of progesterone and 3α,5α-THPROG in different experimental models, with a focus on traumatic brain injury and stroke. Finally, we highlight the key role of the classical progesterone receptors (PR) in mediating the neuroprotective effects of progesterone after stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachida Guennoun
- U 1195 Inserm and University Paris Saclay, University Paris Sud, 94276 Le kremlin Bicêtre, France
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9
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Nikolaou N, Arvaniti A, Appanna N, Sharp A, Hughes BA, Digweed D, Whitaker MJ, Ross R, Arlt W, Penning TM, Morris K, George S, Keevil BG, Hodson L, Gathercole LL, Tomlinson JW. Glucocorticoids regulate AKR1D1 activity in human liver in vitro and in vivo. J Endocrinol 2020; 245:207-218. [PMID: 32106090 PMCID: PMC7182088 DOI: 10.1530/joe-19-0473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Steroid 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) is highly expressed in human liver where it inactivates endogenous glucocorticoids and catalyses an important step in bile acid synthesis. Endogenous and synthetic glucocorticoids are potent regulators of metabolic phenotype and play a crucial role in hepatic glucose metabolism. However, the potential of synthetic glucocorticoids to be metabolised by AKR1D1 as well as to regulate its expression and activity has not been investigated. The impact of glucocorticoids on AKR1D1 activity was assessed in human liver HepG2 and Huh7 cells; AKR1D1 expression was assessed by qPCR and Western blotting. Genetic manipulation of AKR1D1 expression was conducted in HepG2 and Huh7 cells and metabolic assessments were made using qPCR. Urinary steroid metabolite profiling in healthy volunteers was performed pre- and post-dexamethasone treatment, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. AKR1D1 metabolised endogenous cortisol, but cleared prednisolone and dexamethasone less efficiently. In vitro and in vivo, dexamethasone decreased AKR1D1 expression and activity, further limiting glucocorticoid clearance and augmenting action. Dexamethasone enhanced gluconeogenic and glycogen synthesis gene expression in liver cell models and these changes were mirrored by genetic knockdown of AKR1D1 expression. The effects of AKR1D1 knockdown were mediated through multiple nuclear hormone receptors, including the glucocorticoid, pregnane X and farnesoid X receptors. Glucocorticoids down-regulate AKR1D1 expression and activity and thereby reduce glucocorticoid clearance. In addition, AKR1D1 down-regulation alters the activation of multiple nuclear hormone receptors to drive changes in gluconeogenic and glycogen synthesis gene expression profiles, which may exacerbate the adverse impact of exogenous glucocorticoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Nikolaou
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes,
Endocrinology and Metabolism, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre,
University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Anastasia Arvaniti
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes,
Endocrinology and Metabolism, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre,
University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK
- Department of Biological and Medical
Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford,
UK
| | - Nathan Appanna
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes,
Endocrinology and Metabolism, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre,
University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Anna Sharp
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes,
Endocrinology and Metabolism, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre,
University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Beverly A Hughes
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems
Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham,
UK
| | | | | | - Richard Ross
- Department of Oncology and
Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health,
University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Wiebke Arlt
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems
Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham,
UK
- NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research
Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
and University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Trevor M Penning
- Department of Systems Pharmacology &
Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman
School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Karen Morris
- Biochemistry Department,
Manchester University NHS Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Sherly George
- Biochemistry Department,
Manchester University NHS Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Brian G Keevil
- Biochemistry Department,
Manchester University NHS Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Leanne Hodson
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes,
Endocrinology and Metabolism, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre,
University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Laura L Gathercole
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes,
Endocrinology and Metabolism, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre,
University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK
- Department of Biological and Medical
Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford,
UK
| | - Jeremy W Tomlinson
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes,
Endocrinology and Metabolism, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre,
University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK
- Correspondence should be addressed to J W Tomlinson:
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10
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Robitaille J, Langlois VS. Consequences of steroid-5α-reductase deficiency and inhibition in vertebrates. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 290:113400. [PMID: 31981690 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
In 1974, a lack of 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT), the most potent androgen across species except for fish, was shown to be the origin of a type of pseudohermaphrodism in which boys have female-like external genitalia. This human intersex condition is linked to a mutation in the steroid-5α-reductase type 2 (SRD5α2) gene, which usually produces an important enzyme capable of reducing the Δ4-ene of steroid C-19 and C-21 into a 5α-stereoisomer. Seeing the potential of SRD5α2 as a target for androgen synthesis, pharmaceutical companies developed 5α-reductase inhibitors (5ARIs), such as finasteride (FIN) and dutasteride (DUT) to target SRD5α2 in benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenic alopecia. In addition to human treatment, the development of 5ARIs also enabled further research of SRD5α functions. Therefore, this review details the morphological, physiological, and molecular effects of the lack of SRD5α activity induced by both SRD5α mutations and inhibitor exposures across species. More specifically, data highlights 1) the role of 5α-DHT in the development of male secondary sexual organs in vertebrates and sex determination in non-mammalian vertebrates, 2) the role of SRD5α1 in the synthesis of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone (ALLO) and 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol (3α-diol), which are involved in anxiety and sexual behavior, respectively, and 3) the role of SRD5α3 in N-glycosylation. This review also features the lesser known functions of SRD5αs in steroid degradation in the uterus during pregnancy and glucocorticoid clearance in the liver. Additionally, the review describes the regulation of SRD5αs by the receptors of androgens, progesterone, estrogen, and thyroid hormones, as well as their differential DNA methylation. Factors known to be involved in their differential methylation are age, inflammation, and mental stimulation. Overall, this review helps shed light on the various essential functions of SRD5αs across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Robitaille
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Valerie S Langlois
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), Quebec City, QC, Canada.
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11
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Rasmusson AM, King MW, Valovski I, Gregor K, Scioli-Salter E, Pineles SL, Hamouda M, Nillni YI, Anderson GM, Pinna G. Relationships between cerebrospinal fluid GABAergic neurosteroid levels and symptom severity in men with PTSD. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 102:95-104. [PMID: 30529908 PMCID: PMC6584957 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Allopregnanolone and pregnanolone (together termed allo + pregnan) are neurosteroid metabolites of progesterone that equipotently facilitate the action of gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) at GABAA receptors. The adrenal steroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) allosterically antagonizes GABAA receptors and facilitates N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor function. In prior research, premenopausal women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) displayed low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of allo + pregnan [undifferentiated by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method used] that correlated strongly and negatively with PTSD reexperiencing and negative mood symptoms. A PTSD-related decrease in the ratio of allo + pregnan to 5α-dihydroprogesterone (5α-DHP: immediate precursor for allopregnanolone) suggested a block in synthesis of these neurosteroids at 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSD). In the current study, CSF was collected from unmedicated, tobacco-free men with PTSD (n = 13) and trauma-exposed healthy controls (n = 17) after an overnight fast. Individual CSF steroids were quantified separately by GC-MS. In the men with PTSD, allo + pregnan correlated negatively with Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-IV) total (ρ=-0.74, p = 0.006) and CAPS-IV derived Simms dysphoria cluster (ρ=-0.71, p = 0.01) scores. The allo+pregnan to DHEA ratio also was negatively correlated with total CAPS (ρ=-0.74, p = 0.006) and dysphoria cluster (ρ=-0.79, p = 0.002) scores. A PTSD-related decrease in the 5α-DHP to progesterone ratio indicated a block in allopregnanolone synthesis at 5α-reductase. This study suggests that CSF allo + pregnan levels correlate negatively with PTSD and negative mood symptoms in both men and women, but that the enzyme blocks in synthesis of these neurosteroids may be sex-specific. Consideration of sex, PTSD severity, and function of 5α-reductase and 3α-HSD thus may enable better targeting of neurosteroid-based PTSD treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann M Rasmusson
- VA National Center for PTSD Women's Health Science Division, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, United States.
| | - Matthew W King
- VA National Center for PTSD Women's Health Science Division, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, United States
| | - Ivan Valovski
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, United States
| | - Kristin Gregor
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, United States
| | - Erica Scioli-Salter
- VA National Center for PTSD Women's Health Science Division, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, United States
| | - Suzanne L Pineles
- VA National Center for PTSD Women's Health Science Division, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, United States
| | - Mohamed Hamouda
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, United States
| | - Yael I Nillni
- VA National Center for PTSD Women's Health Science Division, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, United States; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, United States
| | - George M Anderson
- Child Study Center and Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, United States
| | - Graziano Pinna
- The Psychiatric Institute, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
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Frau R, Bortolato M. Repurposing steroidogenesis inhibitors for the therapy of neuropsychiatric disorders: Promises and caveats. Neuropharmacology 2018; 147:55-65. [PMID: 29907425 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Steroids exert a profound influence on behavioral reactivity, by modulating the functions of most neurotransmitters and shaping the impact of stress and sex-related variables on neural processes. This background - as well as the observation that most neuroactive steroids (including sex hormones, glucocorticoids and neurosteroids) are synthetized and metabolized by overlapping enzymatic machineries - points to steroidogenic pathways as a powerful source of targets for neuropsychiatric disorders. Inhibitors of steroidogenic enzymes have been developed and approved for a broad range of genitourinary and endocrine dysfunctions, opening to new opportunities to repurpose these drugs for the treatment of mental problems. In line with this idea, preliminary clinical and preclinical results from our group have shown that inhibitors of key steroidogenic enzymes, such as 5α-reductase and 17,20 desmolase-lyase, may have therapeutic efficacy in specific behavioral disorders associated with dopaminergic hyperfunction. While the lack of specificity of these effects raises potential concerns about endocrine adverse events, these initial findings suggest that steroidogenesis modulators with greater brain specificity may hold significant potential for the development of alternative therapies for psychiatric problems. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Drug Repurposing: old molecules, new ways to fast track drug discovery and development for CNS disorders'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Frau
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Cagliari, Monserrato CA, Italy; Tourette Syndrome Center, University of Cagliari, Monserrato CA, Italy; Sleep Medicine Center, University of Cagliari, Monserrato CA, Italy; National Institute of Neuroscience (INN), University of Cagliari, Monserrato CA, Italy.
| | - Marco Bortolato
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
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Morford JJ, Wu S, Mauvais-Jarvis F. The impact of androgen actions in neurons on metabolic health and disease. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2018; 465:92-102. [PMID: 28882554 PMCID: PMC5835167 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Revised: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The male hormone testosterone exerts different effects on glucose and energy homeostasis in males and females. Testosterone deficiency predisposes males to visceral obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However, testosterone excess predisposes females to similar metabolic dysfunction. Here, we review the effects of testosterone actions in the central nervous system on metabolic function in males and females. In particular, we highlight changes within the hypothalamus that control glucose and energy homeostasis. We distinguish the organizational effects of testosterone in the programming of neural circuitry during development from the activational effects of testosterone during adulthood. Finally, we explore potential sites where androgen might be acting to impact metabolism within the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie J Morford
- Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Sheng Wu
- Department of Pediatrics and Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Franck Mauvais-Jarvis
- Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
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Liang JJ, Rasmusson AM. Overview of the Molecular Steps in Steroidogenesis of the GABAergic Neurosteroids Allopregnanolone and Pregnanolone. CHRONIC STRESS (THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF.) 2018; 2:2470547018818555. [PMID: 32440589 PMCID: PMC7219929 DOI: 10.1177/2470547018818555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Allopregnanolone and pregnanolone-neurosteroids synthesized from progesterone in the brain, adrenal gland, ovary and testis-have been implicated in a range of neuropsychiatric conditions including seizure disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, post-partum depression, pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, chronic pain, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, neurotrauma, and stroke. Allopregnanolone and pregnanolone equipotently facilitate the effects of gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) at GABAA receptors, and when sulfated, antagonize N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. They play myriad roles in neurophysiological homeostasis and adaptation to stress while exerting anxiolytic, antidepressant, anti-nociceptive, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory, sleep promoting, memory stabilizing, neuroprotective, pro-myelinating, and neurogenic effects. Given that these neurosteroids are synthesized de novo on demand, this review details the molecular steps involved in the biochemical conversion of cholesterol to allopregnanolone and pregnanolone within steroidogenic cells. Although much is known about the early steps in neurosteroidogenesis, less is known about transcriptional, translational, and post-translational processes in allopregnanolone- and pregnanolone-specific synthesis. Further research to elucidate these mechanisms as well as to optimize the timing and dose of interventions aimed at altering the synthesis or levels of these neurosteroids is much needed. This should include the development of novel therapeutics for the many neuropsychiatric conditions to which dysregulation of these neurosteroids contributes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ann M. Rasmusson
- Boston
University School of Medicine, Boston, MA,
USA
- National Center for PTSD, Women’s Health
Science Division, Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston, MA, USA
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA,
USA
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15
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Frau R, Savoia P, Fanni S, Fiorentini C, Fidalgo C, Tronci E, Stancampiano R, Meloni M, Cannas A, Marrosu F, Bortolato M, Devoto P, Missale C, Carta M. The 5-alpha reductase inhibitor finasteride reduces dyskinesia in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Exp Neurol 2017; 291:1-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Revised: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
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16
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Kiguradze T, Temps WH, Yarnold PR, Cashy J, Brannigan RE, Nardone B, Micali G, West DP, Belknap SM. Persistent erectile dysfunction in men exposed to the 5α-reductase inhibitors, finasteride, or dutasteride. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3020. [PMID: 28289563 PMCID: PMC5346286 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Importance Case reports describe persistent erectile dysfunction (PED) associated with exposure to 5α-reductase inhibitors (5α-RIs). Clinical trial reports and the manufacturers’ full prescribing information (FPI) for finasteride and dutasteride state that risk of sexual adverse effects is not increased by longer duration of 5α-RI exposure and that sexual adverse effects of 5α-RIs resolve in men who discontinue exposure. Objective Our chief objective was to assess whether longer duration of 5α-RI exposure increases risk of PED, independent of age and other known risk factors. Men with shorter 5α-RI exposure served as a comparison control group for those with longer exposure. Design We used a single-group study design and classification tree analysis (CTA) to model PED (lasting ≥90 days after stopping 5α-RI). Covariates included subject attributes, diseases, and drug exposures associated with sexual dysfunction. Setting Our data source was the electronic medical record data repository for Northwestern Medicine. Subjects The analysis cohorts comprised all men exposed to finasteride or dutasteride or combination products containing one of these drugs, and the subgroup of men 16–42 years old and exposed to finasteride ≤1.25 mg/day. Main outcome and measures Our main outcome measure was diagnosis of PED beginning after first 5α-RI exposure, continuing for at least 90 days after stopping 5α-RI, and with contemporaneous treatment with a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor (PDE5I). Other outcome measures were erectile dysfunction (ED) and low libido. PED was determined by manual review of medical narratives for all subjects with ED. Risk of an adverse effect was expressed as number needed to harm (NNH). Results Among men with 5α-RI exposure, 167 of 11,909 (1.4%) developed PED (persistence median 1,348 days after stopping 5α-RI, interquartile range (IQR) 631.5–2320.5 days); the multivariable model predicting PED had four variables: prostate disease, duration of 5α-RI exposure, age, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use. Of 530 men with new ED, 167 (31.5%) had new PED. Men without prostate disease who combined NSAID use with >208.5 days of 5α-RI exposure had 4.8-fold higher risk of PED than men with shorter exposure (NNH 59.8, all p < 0.002). Among men 16–42 years old and exposed to finasteride ≤1.25 mg/day, 34 of 4,284 (0.8%) developed PED (persistence median 1,534 days, IQR 651–2,351 days); the multivariable model predicting PED had one variable: duration of 5α-RI exposure. Of 103 young men with new ED, 34 (33%) had new PED. Young men with >205 days of finasteride exposure had 4.9-fold higher risk of PED (NNH 108.2, p < 0.004) than men with shorter exposure. Conclusion and relevance Risk of PED was higher in men with longer exposure to 5α-RIs. Among young men, longer exposure to finasteride posed a greater risk of PED than all other assessed risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Kiguradze
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - William H Temps
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - John Cashy
- Department of Urology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Robert E Brannigan
- Department of Urology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Beatrice Nardone
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Giuseppe Micali
- Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Dennis Paul West
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Steven M Belknap
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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17
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Bissegger S, Langlois VS. Androgens modulate gene expression and specific DNA methylation pattern of steroid 5α-reductases in the frog Silurana tropicalis. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 234:123-32. [PMID: 26987288 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In vertebrates, androgens are essential in many biological functions, including reproduction, immune system, metabolism, cardiovascular function, and the central nervous system. The most potent androgen 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT), which is actively involved in sexual differentiation and development, is converted from testosterone (T) by the steroid 5α-reductases type 1, 2, and 3 (Srd5α1, Srd5α2, and Srd5α3). Alternatively, steroid 5β-reductase (Srd5β) converts T to 5β-dihydrotestosterone (5β-DHT), a metabolite believed to be involved in steroid clearance. Recent studies suggested that Srd5 isoforms are targets for endocrine disruption. Thus, understanding the regulation of Srd5 is important to expand our knowledge on how exogenous compounds can interfere with these enzymes. In this study, we exposed frog brain, liver, and gonads ex vivo to T, 5α-DHT, and 5β-DHT in order to investigate the regulation of srd5 in response to androgens as a simulation of endocrine disrupting chemicals with androgenic properties. Androgens did not modulate srd5α2, suggesting that this isoform is not regulated by T and 5α-DHT in frogs. However, the DNA methylation of srd5α2 increased following 5α-DHT treatment suggesting that androgens can modulate epigenetic mechanisms in amphibians. In contrast, the DNA methylation of srd5α1 and srd5α3 remained stable after androgen exposure, but the mRNA levels of srd5α1 and srd5α3 were modulated by T, 5α-DHT, and 5β-DHT in a sex- and tissue-specific manner. While T positively regulates srd5α1 and srd5α3 in testes, T negatively regulates srd5α3 in ovaries. Moreover, exposure to T also increased the mRNA level of srd5β in the male brain suggesting a mechanism to protect the brain from androgen action by elimination of T into 5β-DHT. Thus, exogenous compounds with androgenic properties potentially interact with srd5 transcription and DNA methylation pattern, which could adversely affect biological functions of vertebrates during development and reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Bissegger
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Department, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Valerie S Langlois
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Department, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON, Canada.
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do Rego JL, Vaudry H. Comparative aspects of neurosteroidogenesis: From fish to mammals. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 227:120-9. [PMID: 26079790 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2015] [Revised: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
It is now clearly established that the central and peripheral nervous systems have the ability to synthesize de novo steroids referred to as neurosteroids. The major evidence for biosynthesis of neuroactive steroids by nervous tissues is based on the expression of enzymes implicated in the formation of steroids in neural cells. The aim of the present review is to summarize the current knowledge regarding the presence of steroidogenic enzymes in the brain of vertebrates and to highlight the very considerable contribution of Professor Kazuyoshi Tsutsui in this domain. The data indicate that expression of steroid-producing enzymes in the brain appeared early during vertebrate evolution and has been preserved from fish to mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Luc do Rego
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Hubert Vaudry
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France; Neurotrophic Factors and Neuronal Differentiation Team, Inserm U982, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France.
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19
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GABAA receptor-acting neurosteroids: a role in the development and regulation of the stress response. Front Neuroendocrinol 2015; 36:28-48. [PMID: 24929099 PMCID: PMC4349499 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2014] [Revised: 05/26/2014] [Accepted: 06/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis activity by stress is a fundamental survival mechanism and HPA-dysfunction is implicated in psychiatric disorders. Adverse early life experiences, e.g. poor maternal care, negatively influence brain development and programs an abnormal stress response by encoding long-lasting molecular changes, which may extend to the next generation. How HPA-dysfunction leads to the development of affective disorders is complex, but may involve GABAA receptors (GABAARs), as they curtail stress-induced HPA axis activation. Of particular interest are endogenous neurosteroids that potently modulate the function of GABAARs and exhibit stress-protective properties. Importantly, neurosteroid levels rise rapidly during acute stress, are perturbed in chronic stress and are implicated in the behavioural changes associated with early-life adversity. We will appraise how GABAAR-active neurosteroids may impact on HPA axis development and the orchestration of the stress-evoked response. The significance of these actions will be discussed in the context of stress-associated mood disorders.
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20
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5α-reductase type I expression is downregulated in the prefrontal cortex/Brodmann's area 9 (BA9) of depressed patients. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:3569-80. [PMID: 24781515 PMCID: PMC6223254 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3567-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2013] [Accepted: 03/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The implications of the neurosteroid 3α-hydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one [allopregnanolone (Allo)] in neuropsychiatric disorders have been highlighted in several recent clinical investigations. For instance, Allo levels are decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major unipolar depression. Neurosteroidogenic antidepressants [i.e., selective brain steroidogenic stimulants (SBSSs)], including fluoxetine and analogs, correct this decrease in a manner that correlates with improved depressive symptoms. Allo positively and allosterically modulates GABA action at postsynaptic and extrasynaptic GABAA receptors. It is synthesized in both the human and rodent brain cortices by principal glutamatergic pyramidal neurons from progesterone by the sequential action of 5α-reductase type I (5α-RI), which is the rate-limiting step enzyme in Allo biosynthesis, and 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSD), which converts 5α-dehydroprogesterone into Allo. HYPOTHESIS We thus hypothesized that decreased CSF levels of Allo in depressed patients could reflect a brain dysfunction of 5α-RI. METHODS In a pilot study of samples from six patients per group [six depressed patients and six nonpsychiatric subjects (NPS)], we studied the expression of 5α-RI messenger RNA (mRNA) in prefrontal cortex Brodmann's area 9 (BA9) and cerebellum from depressed patients obtained from the Maryland Brain Collection at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (Baltimore, MD) that were age-matched with NPS. RESULTS The levels of 5α-RI mRNA were decreased from 25 ± 5.8 in NPS to 9.1 ± 3.1 fmol/pmol neuronal specific enolase (NSE) (t1,10 = 2.7, P = 0.02) in depressed patients. These differences are absent in the cerebellum of the same patients. The levels of neurosteroids were determined in the prefrontal cortex BA9 of depressed patients obtained from the Stanley Foundation Brain Bank Neuropathology Consortium, Bethesda (MD). The BA9 levels of Allo in male depressed patients failed to reach statistical difference from the levels of NPS (1.63 ± 1.01 pg/mg, n = 8, in NPS and 0.82 ± 0.33 pg/mg, n = 5, in nontreated depressed patients). However, depressed patients who had received antidepressant treatment (three patients SSRI and one TCA) exhibited increased BA9 Allo levels (6.16 ± 2.5 pg/mg, n = 4, t1,9 = 2.4, P = 0.047) when compared with nontreated depressed patients. CONCLUSIONS Although in a small number of patients, this finding is in-line with previous reports in the field that have observed an increase of Allo levels in CSF and plasma of depressed patients following antidepressant treatment. Hence, the molecular mechanisms underlying major depression may include a GABAergic neurotransmission deficit caused by a brain Allo biosynthesis downregulation, which can be normalized by SBSSs.
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Effects of different ethanol-administration regimes on mRNA and protein levels of steroid 5α-reductase isozymes in prefrontal cortex of adolescent male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:3273-80. [PMID: 24714925 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3558-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2013] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Underage drinking is a leading public health problem in developed countries. An increasing proportion of adolescents consume alcoholic beverages every weekend. Increased anxiety, irritability, and depression among adolescents may induce them to seek for the anxiolytic and rewarding properties of alcohol. Allopregnanolone (AlloP) shares rewarding effects of ethanol and modulates ethanol intake. The rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of AlloP is steroid 5α-reductase (5α-R), which is expressed as three isozymes, 5α-R1, 5α-R2, and 5α-R3. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to quantify the expression levels of 5α-R isozymes in prefrontal cortex (PFC) of adolescent male rats after three different regimes of ethanol administration. METHODS Adolescent male Wistar rats were administered with ethanol (4 g/kg) or saline intraperitoneally for 1 day (acute), for 7 days (chronic), or every 72 h for 14 days (chronic intermittent). Messenger (m)RNA and protein levels of 5α-R isozymes were measured by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS Ethanol significantly increased mRNA and protein levels of 5α-R1, 5α-R2, and 5α-R3 in the three different regimes of ethanol administration, being higher in the chronic intermittent regime in comparison with the others. CONCLUSIONS The expression of the AlloP-biosynthetic enzyme 5α-Rs increases in the prefrontal cortex of adolescent male rats under acute, chronic, and chronic intermittent regime of ethanol administration. The latter is very interesting because it mimics the teenage drinking behavior.
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Kiyokage E, Toida K, Suzuki-Yamamoto T, Ishimura K. Cellular localization of 5α-reductase in the rat cerebellum. J Chem Neuroanat 2014; 59-60:8-16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2014.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2013] [Revised: 04/11/2014] [Accepted: 04/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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Koonce CJ, Frye CA. Female mice with deletion of Type One 5α-reductase have reduced reproductive responding during proestrus and after hormone-priming. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2014; 122:20-9. [PMID: 24650589 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2014.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Revised: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The capacity to form progesterone (P₄)'s 5α-reduced metabolite, 5α-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one (3α,5α-THP; a.k.a. allopregnanolone), in the brain may be related to facilitation of lordosis among estrogen-primed (E₂) mice. We investigated this idea further by comparing effects of endogenous and exogenous progestogens in mice that are deficient in the Type One 5α-reductase enzyme (5α-reductase knockout mice; 5α-RKO), and their wildtype counterparts for sexual behavior. Comparisons were made following administration of progestogens that are expected to increase 3α,5α-THP or not. Sexual receptivity of 5α-RKO mice and their wildtype counterparts was examined when mice were naturally-cycling (Experiment 1); ovariectomized (OVX), E₂-primed (10 μg, subcutaneous; SC) and administered P₄ (0, 125, 250, or 500 μg SC; Experiment 2); and OVX, E₂-primed and administered P₄, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA, 4 mg/kg, SC, which does not convert to 3α,5α-THP) or 3α,5α-THP (4 mg/kg, SC; Experiment 3). The percentage of mounts that elicited lordosis (lordosis quotient) or aggression/rejection behavior (aggression quotient), as well as the quality of lordosis (lordosis rating), was scored. Wildtype, but not 5α-RKO, mice in behavioral estrus demonstrated significantly greater lordosis quotients and lordosis ratings, but similar aggression quotients, compared to their diestrous counterparts. Among OVX and E₂-primed mice, P₄ facilitated lordosis of wildtype, but not 5α-RKO, mice. MPA neither facilitated lordosis of wildtype, nor 5α-RKO mice. 3α,5α-THP administered to wildtype or 5α-RKO mice increased lordosis quotients and lordosis ratings and decreased aggression quotients. 3α,5α-THP levels in the midbrain, one brain region important for sexual behavior, were increased during behavioral estrus, with P4 administered to WT, but not 5α-RKO mice, and 3α,5α-THP administered to WT and 5α-RKO mice. MPA did not increase 3α,5α-THP. Thus, deletion of Type One 5α-reductase among female mice may attenuate reproductive responding during the estrous cycle and after hormone-priming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn J Koonce
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY, United States; Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States; IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence (INBRE), University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States
| | - Cheryl A Frye
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY, United States; Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY, United States; The Centers for Neuroscience and Life Sciences Research, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY, United States; Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States; Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States; IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence (INBRE), University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States.
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Lewis SR, Hedman CJ, Ziegler T, Ricke WA, Jorgensen JS. Steroidogenic factor 1 promotes aggressive growth of castration-resistant prostate cancer cells by stimulating steroid synthesis and cell proliferation. Endocrinology 2014; 155:358-69. [PMID: 24265454 PMCID: PMC3891934 DOI: 10.1210/en.2013-1583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2013] [Accepted: 11/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The dependence of prostate cancer on androgens provides a targeted means of treating advanced disease. Unfortunately, androgen deprivation therapies eventually become ineffective, leading to deadly castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). One of many factors implicated in the transition to CRPC is the onset of de novo steroidogenesis. Although reactivation of steroid receptors likely plays a pivotal role in aggressive CRPC, little is understood regarding the mechanisms whereby prostate cancer cells initiate and maintain steroidogenesis. We hypothesize that steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1, NR5A1, AD4BP), a key regulator of steroidogenesis in normal endocrine tissues, is expressed in CRPC where it stimulates aberrant steroidogenesis and fuels aggressive growth. Notably, SF1 is not expressed in normal prostate tissue. Our results indicated that SF1 was absent in benign cells but present in aggressive prostate cancer cell lines. Introduction of ectopic SF1 expression in benign human prostate epithelial cells (BPH-1) stimulated increased steroidogenic enzyme expression, steroid synthesis, and cell proliferation. In contrast, data from an aggressive human prostate cancer cell line (BCaPT10) demonstrated that SF1 was required for steroid-mediated cell growth because BCaPT10 cell growth was diminished by abiraterone treatment and short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of SF1 (shSF1). SF1-depleted cells also exhibited defective centrosome homeostasis. Finally, whereas xenograft experiments in castrated hosts with BCaPT10 control transplants grew large, invasive tumors, BCaPT10-shSF1 knockdown transplants failed to grow. Therefore, we conclude that SF1 stimulates steroid accumulation and controls centrosome homeostasis to mediate aggressive prostate cancer cell growth within a castrate environment. These findings present a new molecular mechanism and therapeutic target for deadly CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha R Lewis
- Department of Comparative Biosciences (S.R.L., J.S.J.), University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center (J.S.J., W.A.R.), Madison, Wisconsin 53792, Environmental Health Division (C.J.H.), Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, Madison, Wisconsin 53706; Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (C.J.H., T.Z.) Madison, Wisconsin 53715; Institute of Clinical and Translational Research (J.S.J., C.J.H., T.Z., W.A.R.), University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53705; and Department of Urology (W.A.R.), University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53792
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Castro B, Sánchez P, Torres JM, Ortega E. Effects of adult exposure to bisphenol a on genes involved in the physiopathology of rat prefrontal cortex. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73584. [PMID: 24066056 PMCID: PMC3774751 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2013] [Accepted: 07/29/2013] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Several neurological and behavioral dysfunctions have been reported in animals exposed to bisphenol A (BPA). However, little is known about the impact of adult exposure to BPA on brain physiopathology. Here, we focused on prefrontal cortex (PFC) of rats, because it is an important area for cognitive control, complex behaviors and is altered in many psychopathologies. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and serotonin (5-HT) systems are essential for PFC function. Therefore, we examined the effects of adult exposure to BPA on 5α-Reductase (5α-R) and cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom), enzymes that synthesize GABAA receptor modulators, and tryptophan hydroxylase (Tph), the rate-limiting enzyme in 5-HT biosynthesis. To gain better understanding of BPA's action in the adult PFC, 84 genes involved in neurotoxicity were also analysed. Adult male and female rats were subcutaneously injected for 4 days with 50 µg/kg/day, the current reference safe dose for BPA. mRNA and protein levels of 5α-R, P450arom and Tph were quantified by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot. Genes linked to neurotoxicity were analyzed by PCR-Array technology. Adult exposure to BPA increased both P450arom and Tph2 expression in PFC of male and female, but decreased 5α-R1 expression in female. Moreover, we identified 17 genes related to PFC functions such as synaptic plasticity and memory, as potential targets of BPA. Our results provided new insights on the molecular mechanisms underlying BPA action in the physiopathology of PFC, but also raise the question about the safety of short-term exposure to it in the adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Castro
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Pilar Sánchez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Jesús M. Torres
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- * E-mail: (JMT); (EO)
| | - Esperanza Ortega
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- * E-mail: (JMT); (EO)
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Bisphenol A modifies the regulation exerted by testosterone on 5 α -reductase isozymes in ventral prostate of adult rats. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2013; 2013:629235. [PMID: 23984391 PMCID: PMC3741927 DOI: 10.1155/2013/629235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2013] [Revised: 06/20/2013] [Accepted: 07/06/2013] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
The development, growth, and function of the prostate gland depend on androgen stimulation. The primary androgen in prostate is 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is synthesized from circulating testosterone (T) through the action of 5α-reductase (5α-R). Although 5α-R occurs as five isozymes, only 5α-R1 and 5α-R2 are physiologically involved in steroidogenesis. The endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) alters sexual organs, including the prostate. Our previous findings indicated that BPA decreased the expression of 5α-R1 and 5α-R2 in rat prostate but also circulating T. Thus, it is unclear whether BPA exerts this effect on 5α-R isozymes by reducing circulating T or by any other mechanism. In this study, we examine the effects of short-term exposure to BPA at doses below 25 μg/Kg/d and above 300 μg/Kg/d of the TDI on mRNA levels of 5α-R1 and 5α-R2 in prostate of adult castrated rats supplemented with T to achieve constant circulating T levels. mRNA levels were measured by absolute quantitative RT-PCR, T levels by RIA, and DHT levels by ELISA. Our results indicated that in castrated rats treated with T BPA at the two doses studied significantly decreased the mRNA levels of both 5α-R isozymes in a dose-dependent manner without modifications in circulating T.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE 5α-reductases are a family of isozymes expressed in a wide host of tissues including the central nervous system (CNS) and play a pivotal role in male sexual differentiation, development and physiology. METHODS A comprehensive literature search from 1970 to 2011 was made through PubMed and the relevant information was summarized. RESULTS 5α reductases convert testosterone, progesterone, deoxycorticosterone, aldosterone and corticosterone into their respective 5α-dihydro-derivatives, which serve as substrates for 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzymes. The latter transforms these 5α-reduced metabolites into a subclass of neuroactive steroid hormones with distinct physiological functions. The neuroactive steroid hormones modulate a multitude of functions in human physiology encompassing regulation of sexual differentiation, neuroprotection, memory enhancement, anxiety, sleep and stress, among others. In addition, 5α -reductase type 3 is also implicated in the N-glycosylation of proteins via formation of dolichol phosphate. The family of 5α-reductases was targeted for drug development to treat pathophysiological conditions, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenetic alopecia. While the clinical use of 5α-reductase inhibitors was well established, the scope and the magnitude of the adverse side effects of such drugs, especially on the CNS, is still unrecognized due to lack of knowledge of the various physiological functions of this family of enzymes, especially in the CNS. CONCLUSION There is an urgent need to better understand the function of 5α-reductases and the role of neuroactive steroids in human physiology in order to minimize the potential adverse side effects of inhibitors targeting 5α-reductases to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenic alopecia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulmaged M Traish
- Department of Urology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA.
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Regional distribution of 5α-reductase type 2 in the adult rat brain: an immunohistochemical analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2013; 38:281-93. [PMID: 22776423 PMCID: PMC3762250 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2012] [Revised: 06/18/2012] [Accepted: 06/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The enzyme 5α-reductase (5αR) catalyzes the conversion of testosterone and other Δ(4)-3-ketosteroids into their 5α-reduced metabolites. Of the five members of the 5αR family, the type 2 enzyme (5αR2) plays a key role in androgen metabolism, and is abundantly distributed in the urogenital system. Although 5αR2 has been reported to be highly expressed in the brain during early developmental stages, little is currently known on its anatomical and cellular distribution in the adult brain. Thus, the present study was designed to determine the detailed localization of 5αR2 in the adult rat brain, using a highly specific polyclonal antibody against this isoform. Parasagittal and coronal sections revealed 5αR2 immunoreactivity throughout most brain regions, with strong immunolabeling in the layers III and VI of the prefrontal and somatosensory cortex, olfactory bulb, thalamic nuclei, CA3 field of hippocampus, basolateral amygdala and Purkinje cell layer of cerebellum. Lower 5αR2 levels were detected in the hypothalamus and midbrain. Moreover, double labeling fluorescence with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) revealed that 5αR2 is localized in neurons, but not in glial cells. Specifically, the enzyme was documented in the pyramidal neurons of the cortex by CLSM analysis of simultaneous Golgi-Cox and immunofluorescent staining. Finally, low levels of 5αR2 expression were identified in GABAergic cells across the cortex, hippocampus and striatum. These findings show that, in the adult brain, 5αR2 is distributed in critical regions for behavioral regulation, suggesting that the functional role of this isoform is present throughout the entire lifespan of the individual.
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Walf AA, Frye CA. Gestational or acute restraint in adulthood reduces levels of 5α-reduced testosterone metabolites in the hippocampus and produces behavioral inhibition of adult male rats. Front Cell Neurosci 2012; 6:40. [PMID: 23264760 PMCID: PMC3524518 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2012.00040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2012] [Accepted: 09/12/2012] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Stressors, during early life or adulthood, can alter steroid-sensitive behaviors, such as exploration, anxiety, and/or cognitive processes. We investigated if exposure to acute stressors in adulthood may alter behavioral and neuroendocrine responses of male rats that were exposed to gestational stress or not. We hypothesized that rats exposed to gestational and acute stress may show behavioral inhibition, increased corticosterone, and altered androgen levels in the hippocampus. Subjects were adult, male offspring of rat dams that were restrained daily on gestational days 14–20, or did not experience this manipulation. Immediately before testing, rats were restraint stressed for 20 min or not. During week 1, rats were tested in a battery of tasks, including the open field, elevated plus maze, social interaction, tailflick, pawlick, and defensive burying tasks. During week 2, rats were trained and tested 24 h later in the inhibitory avoidance task. Plasma corticosterone and androgen levels, and hippocampal androgen levels, were measured in all subjects. Gestational and acute restraint stress increased plasma levels of corticosterone, and reduced levels of testosterone's 5α-reduced metabolites, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and 3α-androstanediol (3α-diol), but not the aromatized metabolite, estradiol (E2), in plasma or the hippocampus. Gestational and acute restraint stress reduced central entries made in the open field, and latencies to enter the shock-associated side of the inhibitory avoidance chamber during testing. Gestational stress reduced time spent interacting with a conspecific. These data suggest that gestational and acute restraint stress can have actions to produce behavioral inhibition coincident with increased corticosterone and decreased 5α-reduced androgens of adult male rats. Thus, gestational stress altered neural circuits involved in the neuroendocrine response to acute stress in early adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia A Walf
- Life Sciences Research, The University at Albany-SUNY Albany, NY, USA
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Sánchez P, Torres JM, Castro B, Del Moral RG, de Dios Luna J, Ortega E. Steroid 5α-reductase in adult rat brain after neonatal dihydrotestosterone administration. Neurochem Res 2012; 38:557-63. [PMID: 23229791 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-012-0948-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2012] [Revised: 10/22/2012] [Accepted: 12/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone (T) is known to play an important masculinizing role in the developing brain of rat, including the regulation of 5α-reductase (5α-R) isozymes. However, the effects of dihydrotesterone (DHT), a more potent androgen than T, have not been elucidated. In this study, DHT was administered from day 5 through day 20 of postnatal life (period of postnatal sexual differentiation of the central nervous system) at doses of: 12 mg/kg/d on days 5, 6, 7, 8, 19, and 20; 15 mg/kg/d on days 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, and 18; and 18 mg/kg/d on days 13, 14, and 15. In adulthood, quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure mRNA levels of 5α-R1 and 5α-R2 isozymes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of male and female rats with varied androgenic status. Under our study conditions, neonatal DHT administration influenced on adult PFC 5α-R isozymes levels and their regulation pattern by androgens, and this pattern was the inverse of that reported in adult neonatally T-treated rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Sánchez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Avda. de Madrid s/n, 18012, Granada, Spain
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Purves-Tyson TD, Handelsman DJ, Double KL, Owens SJ, Bustamante S, Weickert CS. Testosterone regulation of sex steroid-related mRNAs and dopamine-related mRNAs in adolescent male rat substantia nigra. BMC Neurosci 2012; 13:95. [PMID: 22867132 PMCID: PMC3467168 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-13-95] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2012] [Accepted: 07/06/2012] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increased risk of schizophrenia in adolescent males indicates that a link between the development of dopamine-related psychopathology and testosterone-driven brain changes may exist. However, contradictions as to whether testosterone increases or decreases dopamine neurotransmission are found and most studies address this in adult animals. Testosterone-dependent actions in neurons are direct via activation of androgen receptors (AR) or indirect by conversion to 17β-estradiol and activation of estrogen receptors (ER). How midbrain dopamine neurons respond to sex steroids depends on the presence of sex steroid receptor(s) and the level of steroid conversion enzymes (aromatase and 5α-reductase). We investigated whether gonadectomy and sex steroid replacement could influence dopamine levels by changing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein and mRNA and/or dopamine breakdown enzyme mRNA levels [catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) and monoamine oxygenase (MAO) A and B] in the adolescent male rat substantia nigra. We hypothesized that adolescent testosterone would regulate sex steroid signaling through regulation of ER and AR mRNAs and through modulation of aromatase and 5α-reductase mRNA levels. RESULTS We find ERα and AR in midbrain dopamine neurons in adolescent male rats, indicating that dopamine neurons are poised to respond to circulating sex steroids. We report that androgens (T and DHT) increase TH protein and increase COMT, MAOA and MAOB mRNAs in the adolescent male rat substantia nigra. We report that all three sex steroids increase AR mRNA. Differential action on ER pathways, with ERα mRNA down-regulation and ERβ mRNA up-regulation by testosterone was found. 5α reductase-1 mRNA was increased by AR activation, and aromatase mRNA was decreased by gonadectomy. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that increased testosterone at adolescence can shift the balance of sex steroid signaling to favor androgenic responses through promoting conversion of T to DHT and increasing AR mRNA. Further, testosterone may increase local dopamine synthesis and metabolism, thereby changing dopamine regulation within the substantia nigra. We show that testosterone action through both AR and ERs modulates synthesis of sex steroid receptor by altering AR and ER mRNA levels in normal adolescent male substantia nigra. Increased sex steroids in the brain at adolescence may alter substantia nigra dopamine pathways, increasing vulnerability for the development of psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tertia D Purves-Tyson
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney 2021, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney 2031, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2031, Australia
| | | | - Kay L Double
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney 2031, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2031, Australia
| | - Samantha J Owens
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney 2021, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney 2031, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2031, Australia
| | - Sonia Bustamante
- Bioanalytical Mass Spectroscopy Facility, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2031, Australia
| | - Cynthia Shannon Weickert
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney 2021, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney 2031, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2031, Australia
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Viennois E, Esposito T, Dufour J, Pommier A, Fabre S, Kemeny JL, Guy L, Morel L, Lobaccaro JM, Baron S. Lxrα regulates the androgen response in prostate epithelium. Endocrinology 2012; 153:3211-23. [PMID: 22547570 DOI: 10.1210/en.2011-1996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate that commonly occurs in older men. We show that liver X receptor (Lxr)-α knockout mice (lxrα(-/-)) develop ventral prostate hypertrophy, correlating with an overaccumulation of secreted proteins in prostatic ducts and an alteration of vesicular trafficking in epithelial cells. In the fluid of the lxrα(-/-) prostates, spermine binding protein is highly accumulated and shows a 3000-fold increase of its mRNA. This overexpression is mediated by androgen hypersensitivity in lxrα(-/-) mice, restricted to the ventral prostate. Generation of chimeric recombinant prostates demonstrates that Lxrα is involved in the establishment of the epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in the mouse prostate. Altogether these results point out the crucial role of Lxrα in the homeostasis of the ventral prostate and suggest lxrα(-/-) mice may be a good model to investigate the molecular mechanisms of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Viennois
- Department of Génétique Reproduction et Développement, Clermont Université, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Cohen RE, Wade J. Aromatase and 5α-reductase type 2 mRNA in the green anole forebrain: an investigation of the effects of sex, season and testosterone manipulation. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2012; 176:377-84. [PMID: 22326351 PMCID: PMC3334470 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2011] [Revised: 01/24/2012] [Accepted: 01/24/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Aromatase and 5α-reductase (5αR) catalyze the synthesis of testosterone (T) metabolites: estradiol and 5α-dihydrotestosterone, respectively. These enzymes are important in controlling sexual behaviors in male and female vertebrates. To investigate factors contributing to their regulation in reptiles, male and female green anole lizards were gonadectomized during the breeding and non-breeding seasons and treated with a T-filled or blank capsule. In situ hybridization was used to examine main effects of and interactions among sex, season, and T on expression of aromatase and one isozyme of 5αR (5αR2) in three brain regions that control reproductive behaviors: the preoptic area, ventromedial nucleus of the amygdala and ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). Patterns of mRNA generally paralleled previous evaluations of intact animals. Although no main effects of T were detected, interactions were present in the VMH. Specifically, the density of 5αR2 expressing cells was greater in T-treated than control females in this region, regardless of season. Among breeding males, blank-treated males had a denser population of 5αR2 positive cells than T-treated males. Overall, T appears to have less of a role in the regulation of these enzymes than in other vertebrate groups, which is consistent with the primary role of T (rather than its metabolites) in regulation of reproductive behaviors in lizards. However, further investigation of protein and enzyme activity levels are needed before specific conclusions can be drawn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Cohen
- Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1101, United States.
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5α-reductase 1 regulates spinal cord testosterone after morphine administration. Neurol Sci 2012; 34:19-23. [DOI: 10.1007/s10072-012-0936-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2011] [Accepted: 01/04/2012] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Li J, Ding Z, Wang Z, Lu JF, Maity SN, Navone NM, Logothetis CJ, Mills GB, Kim J. Androgen regulation of 5α-reductase isoenzymes in prostate cancer: implications for prostate cancer prevention. PLoS One 2011; 6:e28840. [PMID: 22194926 PMCID: PMC3237548 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2011] [Accepted: 11/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The enzyme 5α-reductase, which converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), performs key functions in the androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway. The three isoenzymes of 5α-reductase identified to date are encoded by different genes: SRD5A1, SRD5A2, and SRD5A3. In this study, we investigated mechanisms underlying androgen regulation of 5α-reductase isoenzyme expression in human prostate cells. We found that androgen regulates the mRNA level of 5α-reductase isoenzymes in a cell type-specific manner, that such regulation occurs at the transcriptional level, and that AR is necessary for this regulation. In addition, our results suggest that AR is recruited to a negative androgen response element (nARE) on the promoter of SRD5A3 in vivo and directly binds to the nARE in vitro. The different expression levels of 5α-reductase isoenzymes may confer response or resistance to 5α-reductase inhibitors and thus may have importance in prostate cancer prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Li
- Department of Systems Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Zhiyong Ding
- Department of Systems Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Zhengxin Wang
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jing-Fang Lu
- Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sankar N. Maity
- Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Nora M. Navone
- Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Christopher J. Logothetis
- Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Gordon B. Mills
- Department of Systems Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jeri Kim
- Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
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Duarte-Guterman P, Ryan MJ, Hogan NS, Trudeau VL. Developmental Profiles and Thyroid Hormone Regulation of Brain Transcripts in Frogs: A Species Comparison with Emphasis on Physalaemus pustulosus. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2011; 79:98-112. [DOI: 10.1159/000331265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2011] [Accepted: 07/20/2011] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Sánchez P, Torres JM, del Moral RG, de Dios Luna J, Ortega E. Steroid 5α-reductase in adult rat brain after neonatal testosterone administration. IUBMB Life 2011; 64:81-6. [DOI: 10.1002/iub.569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2011] [Accepted: 08/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Lorenz C, Contardo-Jara V, Trubiroha A, Krüger A, Viehmann V, Wiegand C, Pflugmacher S, Nützmann G, Lutz I, Kloas W. The Synthetic Gestagen Levonorgestrel Disrupts Sexual Development in Xenopus laevis by Affecting Gene Expression of Pituitary Gonadotropins and Gonadal Steroidogenic Enzymes. Toxicol Sci 2011; 124:311-9. [DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfr241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Bortolato M, Devoto P, Roncada P, Frau R, Flore G, Saba P, Pistritto G, Soggiu A, Pisanu S, Zappala A, Ristaldi MS, Tattoli M, Cuomo V, Marrosu F, Barbaccia ML. Isolation rearing-induced reduction of brain 5α-reductase expression: relevance to dopaminergic impairments. Neuropharmacology 2011; 60:1301-8. [PMID: 21256141 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2010] [Revised: 01/05/2011] [Accepted: 01/10/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Isolation rearing (IR), a well-established rat model of early chronic psychosocial stress, engenders marked behavioral alterations related to changes of dopamine (DA) neurotransmission in cortical and subcortical brain regions. Stress-induced shifts in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic signaling have been implicated in the dysregulation of DA release. The neurosteroid 3α-hydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one (allopregnanolone/AP), synthesized from progesterone by the action of the rate-limiting enzyme 5α-reductase (5AR), is a potent positive allosteric modulator of GABA(A) receptor function. Thus, alterations of 5AR activity/expression may impact upon DA neurotransmission. We studied the effects of IR on the 5AR expression/function and extracellular concentrations of DA and its metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the rat nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Immediately after weaning, male rats were subjected to either IR or social rearing (SR) conditions for 5-8 weeks. Compared to SR, IR rats exhibited significantly lower protein expression of 5AR isoforms (1 and 2) in both brain regions and reduced brain, but not plasma, content of AP and allotetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone, the 5α-reduced metabolite of deoxycorticosterone. IR-exposed rats also exhibited higher levels of DA and DOPAC in the NAcc shell, but not in mPFC, when compared to SR rats. The 5AR inhibitor finasteride (FIN, 100 mg/kg, i.p.) enhanced DA and DOPAC content in the NAcc shell of SR, but not IR rats. FIN, however, elicited equivalent increases in DA and DOPAC levels in the mPFC of both groups. These results show that IR induces changes in expression/activity of brain 5AR which, in a brain-region specific manner, may partially underlie the alterations in DA signaling induced by this manipulation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Trends in neuropharmacology: in memory of Erminio Costa'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Bortolato
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90031, USA.
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Patte-Mensah C, Meyer L, Mensah-Nyagan AG. Steroids, spinal cord and pain sensation. Horm Mol Biol Clin Investig 2011; 7:377-84. [DOI: 10.1515/hmbci.2011.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2011] [Accepted: 08/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
AbstractDuring the whole life, the nervous system is continuously submitted to the actions of different categories of hormones, including steroids. Therefore, the interactions between hormonal compounds and neural tissues are subjected to intense investigations. While a majority of studies focus on the brain, the spinal cord (SC) has received little attention, although this structure is also an important part of the central nervous system, controlling motor and sensory functions. To point out the importance of interactions between hormones and the SC in the regulation of neurobiological activities, we recapitulated and discussed herein various key data, revealing that the pivotal role played by the SC in nociception and pain modulation, directly depends on the SC ability to metabolize and synthesize steroidal molecules. The paper suggests that future investigations aiming to develop effective strategies against chronic pain, must integrate regulatory effects exerted by hormonal steroids on the SC activity, as well as the actions of endogenous neurosteroids locally synthesized in spinal neural networks.
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Vaudry H, Do Rego JL, Burel D, Luu-The V, Pelletier G, Vaudry D, Tsutsui K. Neurosteroid biosynthesis in the brain of amphibians. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2011; 2:79. [PMID: 22649387 PMCID: PMC3355965 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2011.00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2011] [Accepted: 11/08/2011] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Amphibians have been widely used to investigate the synthesis of biologically active steroids in the brain and the regulation of neurosteroid production by neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. The aim of the present review is to summarize the current knowledge regarding the neuroanatomical distribution and biochemical activity of steroidogenic enzymes in the brain of anurans and urodeles. The data accumulated over the past two decades demonstrate that discrete populations of neurons and/or glial cells in the frog and newt brains express the major steroidogenic enzymes and are able to synthesize de novo a number of neurosteroids from cholesterol/pregnenolone. Since neurosteroidogenesis has been conserved during evolution from amphibians to mammals, it appears that neurosteroids must play important physiological functions in the central nervous system of vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hubert Vaudry
- Laboratory of Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation and Communication, INSERM U982, European Institute for Peptide Research, IFRMP23, Regional Platform for Cell Imaging, PRIMACEN, University of RouenMont-Saint-Aignan, France
- *Correspondence: Hubert Vaudry, Laboratory of Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation and Communication (INSERM U982), European Institute for Peptide Research (IFRMP23), International Associated Laboratory Samuel de Champlain, Regional Platform for Cell Imaging (PRIMACEN), University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France. e-mail:
| | - Jean-Luc Do Rego
- Laboratory of Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation and Communication, INSERM U982, European Institute for Peptide Research, IFRMP23, Regional Platform for Cell Imaging, PRIMACEN, University of RouenMont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Delphine Burel
- Laboratory of Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation and Communication, INSERM U982, European Institute for Peptide Research, IFRMP23, Regional Platform for Cell Imaging, PRIMACEN, University of RouenMont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Van Luu-The
- Research Center in Molecular Endocrinology, Oncology and Genetics, Laval University Hospital CenterQuébec, QC, Canada
| | - Georges Pelletier
- Research Center in Molecular Endocrinology, Oncology and Genetics, Laval University Hospital CenterQuébec, QC, Canada
| | - David Vaudry
- Laboratory of Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation and Communication, INSERM U982, European Institute for Peptide Research, IFRMP23, Regional Platform for Cell Imaging, PRIMACEN, University of RouenMont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Science, Department of Biology, Center for Medical Life Science of Waseda University, Waseda UniversityTokyo, Japan
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Increase in formalin-induced tonic pain by 5alpha-reductase and aromatase inhibition in female rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2010; 98:62-6. [PMID: 21184774 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2010.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2010] [Revised: 12/10/2010] [Accepted: 12/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about the role of steroidogenic enzymes in pain modulation. This study examined the effects of 5α-reductase and aromatase inhibition on formalin-induced tonic pain (FITP) in adult female rats. The animals received subcutaneous injection (5 mg/kg) of finasteride (an inhibitor of 5α-reductase) and letrozole (an inhibitor of aromatase), either separately or in combination, 15 min before formalin injection at a low (0.25%) and high (2.5%) concentration. Pretreatment with inhibitors increased FITP evoked by injection of 0.25% formalin, but they were not effective on 2.5% formalin pain. The enhancing effects of finasteride and letrozole on FITP induced by 2.5% formalin was demonstrated by inhibitory actions of these drugs on morphine (7 and 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) induced antinociception. The nervous system could be considered as the main target of the enzymes inhibition, since the pronociceptive effect was also observed after administration of inhibitors to ovariectomized rats. Altogether, these findings suggest that the biological activity of the enzymes 5α-reductase and aromatase modulates FITP and may help to develop effective therapeutic strategies to counteract pain.
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Cohen RE, Wade J. Distribution of Two Isozymes of 5α-Reductase in the Brains of Adult Male and Female Green Anole Lizards. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2010; 76:279-88. [DOI: 10.1159/000322096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2010] [Accepted: 10/15/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Duarte-Guterman P, Trudeau VL. Regulation of thyroid hormone-, oestrogen- and androgen-related genes by triiodothyronine in the brain of Silurana tropicalis. J Neuroendocrinol 2010; 22:1023-31. [PMID: 20626568 PMCID: PMC2943589 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2010.02047.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2010] [Revised: 06/23/2010] [Accepted: 06/27/2010] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Amphibian metamorphosis is an excellent example of hormone-dependent control of development. Thyroid hormones (THs) regulate almost all aspects of metamorphosis, including brain development and larval neuroendocrine function. Sex steroids are also important for early brain function, although little is known about interactions between the two hormonal systems. In the present study, we established brain developmental profiles for thyroid hormone receptors (tralpha and trbeta), deiodinases (dio1, dio2 and dio3), aromatase (cyp19) mRNA and activity, oestrogen receptors (eralpha and erbeta), androgen receptor (ar) and 5alpha-reductases (srd5alpha1 and srd5alpha2) mRNA during Silurana (Xenopus) tropicalis metamorphosis. Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed that all of the genes were expressed in the brain and for most of the genes expression increased during development, with the exception of dio2, srd5alpha1 and srd5alpha2. The ability of premetamorphic tadpoles to respond to exogenous THs was used to investigate the regulation of TH- and sex steroid-related genes in the brain during development. Exposure of premetamorphic tadpoles to triiodothyronine (T3; 0, 0.5, 5 and 50 nm) for 48 h resulted in concentration-dependent increases in trbeta, dio2, dio3, eralpha and erbeta. Expression of srd5alpha2 showed large increases (six- to 7.5-fold) for all three concentrations of T3. No changes were detected in dio1, ar and cyp19 transcript levels; however, cyp19 activity increased significantly at 50 nm T3. The results obtained suggest that expression of TH-related genes and er during development could be regulated by rising levels of THs, as previously documented in Lithobates (Rana) pipiens. The positive regulation of srd5alpha by T3 in the brain suggests that endogenous TH levels help maintain or control the rate at which srd5alpha mRNA levels decrease as metamorphosis progresses. Finally, we have identified sex steroid-related genes that are responsive to T3, providing additional evidence of crosstalk between THs and sex steroids in the tadpole brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Duarte-Guterman
- Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Cohen RE, Wade J. Testosterone selectively affects aromatase and 5alpha-reductase activities in the green anole lizard brain. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2010; 166:128-33. [PMID: 19917285 PMCID: PMC3036945 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2009.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2009] [Revised: 09/29/2009] [Accepted: 11/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone (T) and its metabolites are important in the regulation of reproductive behavior in males of a variety of vertebrate species. Aromatase converts T to estradiol and 5alpha-reductase converts T to 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Male green anole reproduction depends on androgens, yet 5alpha-reductase in the brain is not sexually dimorphic and does not vary with season. In contrast, aromatase activity in the male brain is increased during the breeding compared to non-breeding season, and males have higher levels than females during the breeding season. Aromatase is important for female, but not male, sexual behaviors. The present experiment was conducted to determine whether 5alpha-reductase and aromatase are regulated by T. Enzyme activity was quantified in whole brain homogenates in both the breeding and non-breeding seasons in males and females that had been treated with either a T or blank implant. In males only, T increased 5alpha-reductase activity regardless of season and up-regulated aromatase during the breeding season specifically. Thus, regulation of both enzymes occurs in males, whereas females do not show parallel sensitivity to T. When considered with previous results, the data suggest that aromatase might influence a male function associated with the breeding season other than sexual behavior. 5alpha-Reductase can be mediated by T availability, but this regulation may not serve a sex- or season-specific purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Cohen
- Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1101, USA.
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Pelletier G. Steroidogenic Enzymes in the Brain: Morphological Aspects. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2010; 181:193-207. [DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(08)81011-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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Sánchez P, Torres JM, Olmo A, O'Valle F, Ortega E. Effects of environmental stress on mRNA and protein expression levels of steroid 5alpha-Reductase isozymes in adult rat brain. Horm Behav 2009; 56:348-53. [PMID: 19615370 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2009] [Revised: 07/07/2009] [Accepted: 07/07/2009] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Environmental stress conditions are important factors in human health and should be considered in the development of appropriate health policies, since they have been associated with psychological disorders and even with death. A link between stress and changes in 3alpha,5alpha-reduced neurosteroids has been reported. Steroid 5alpha-Reductase (5alpha-R) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of 3alpha,5alpha-reduced neurosteroids. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, 5alpha-R isozymes (5alpha-R1 and 5alpha-R2) mRNA and protein levels were detected in prefrontal cortex of male and female rats after they underwent environmental stresses, i.e., excessive heat, artificial light, and the sensation of immobility in a small space, similar to those found in common workplace situations. Results showed significantly higher 5alpha-R2 mRNA and protein levels in environmentally-stressed versus control rats. Interestingly, a sexual dimorphism in 5alpha-R1 mRNA and protein levels was observed after environmental stress, with an increase in males and a decrease in females. This fact might explain gender differences in the incidence of some type of minor depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Sánchez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Granada, Spain
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Do Rego JL, Seong JY, Burel D, Leprince J, Luu-The V, Tsutsui K, Tonon MC, Pelletier G, Vaudry H. Neurosteroid biosynthesis: enzymatic pathways and neuroendocrine regulation by neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. Front Neuroendocrinol 2009; 30:259-301. [PMID: 19505496 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2009.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 282] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2009] [Revised: 05/12/2009] [Accepted: 05/21/2009] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Neuroactive steroids synthesized in neuronal tissue, referred to as neurosteroids, are implicated in proliferation, differentiation, activity and survival of nerve cells. Neurosteroids are also involved in the control of a number of behavioral, neuroendocrine and metabolic processes such as regulation of food intake, locomotor activity, sexual activity, aggressiveness, anxiety, depression, body temperature and blood pressure. In this article, we summarize the current knowledge regarding the existence, neuroanatomical distribution and biological activity of the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of neurosteroids in the brain of vertebrates, and we review the neuronal mechanisms that control the activity of these enzymes. The observation that the activity of key steroidogenic enzymes is finely tuned by various neurotransmitters and neuropeptides strongly suggests that some of the central effects of these neuromodulators may be mediated via the regulation of neurosteroid production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Luc Do Rego
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) Unité 413, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
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Vu TT, Hirst JJ, Stark M, Wright IMR, Palliser HK, Hodyl N, Clifton VL. Changes in human placental 5alpha-reductase isoenzyme expression with advancing gestation: effects of fetal sex and glucocorticoid exposure. Reprod Fertil Dev 2009; 21:599-607. [PMID: 19383266 DOI: 10.1071/rd08224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2008] [Accepted: 02/16/2009] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
5alpha-reduced steroids, including allopregnanolone, suppress neuronal activity and can have neuroprotective effects in the fetus. 5alpha-reductases in the placenta may contribute precursors to brain allopregnanolone synthesis. Preterm birth and glucocorticoids, administered for fetal lung maturation or for maternal asthma, may influence reductase expression. The aims of the present study were to evaluate placental 5alpha-reductase isoform expression during late gestation and to examine fetal sex differences and the effects of glucocorticoid therapies on the expression of these enzymes. Expression of the two 5alpha-reductase isoenzymes was measured in placental samples, whereas cortisol concentrations were measured in cord blood, from two cohorts. The first cohort consisted of women who delivered preterm and received betamethasone treatment (n=41); the second cohort consisted of women who delivered at term and were either healthy controls (n=30) or asthmatics who had used glucocorticoids (n=24). Placental expression of both isoenzymes increased with advancing gestation and there were marked sex differences in levels of 5alpha-reductase I (P<0.05), but not of 5alpha-reductase II. The expression of both enzymes was positively correlated with cortisol levels (P<0.05), but there was no effect of recent glucocorticoid exposure. These findings suggest that the preterm neonate may have lower developmental exposure to 5alpha-reduced steroids and may lack steroid-mediated neuroprotection depending on fetal sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi T Vu
- Mothers and Babies Research Centre and School of Biomedical Sciences, John Hunter Hospital Campus, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
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Pluchino N, Ninni F, Casarosa E, Lenzi E, Begliuomini S, Cela V, Luisi S, Freschi L, Merlini S, Giannini A, Cubeddu A, Genazzani AR. Sexually dimorphic effects of testosterone administration on brain allopregnanolone in gonadectomized rats. J Sex Med 2009; 5:2780-92. [PMID: 19090940 DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2008.00999.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Clinical and biological evidences have shown a wide range of neuroactive effects of testosterone administration. AIM Evaluation of the effects of 2-weeks treatment with testosterone (T), Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and estradiol valerate (E2V) on brain and serum allopregnanolone (AP) in gonadectomized rats of both sexes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AP levels were measured in frontal and parietal lobe, hippocampus, hypothalamus, anterior pituitary, and in serum. METHODS Eight groups of Wistar female and eight groups of Wistar male rats were included. For each sex, one group of fertile and one group of gonadectomized rats were employed as control receiving placebo. The others groups received subcutaneous T at the dose of 10 microg/kg/day and 100 microg/kg/day for female rats, and 1 mg/kg/day and 5 mg/kg/day for male rats, or DHT at the doses of 1 microg/kg/day, 10 microg/kg/day, and 100 microg/kg/day for females, and 0, 1 microg/kg/day, 1 mg/kg/day and 5 mg/kg/day for males, or E2V (0.05 mg/Kg/day). RESULTS Ovariectomy (OVX) and orchidectomy (OCX) induced a significant decrease in AP in all brain areas analyzed, as well as in serum. In OVX rats, T replacement, as well as E2V, significantly increased AP content in all brain areas and in plasma. In OCX, T and E2V did not actively result in influencing AP concentration in frontal and parietal lobe, while it produced a significant rise in AP levels in the hippocampus, hypothalamus, anterior pituitary, and serum. Conversely, DHT replacement had no affect on AP levels anywhere or at any administered dose, either in males or in female rats. CONCLUSIONS Gender difference and T therapy affect brain AP synthesis/release during the reproductive aging. This effect becomes particularly evident in the brain of ovariectomized animals, where the content of this specific neurosteroid is much more responsive than male animals to testosterone replacement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Pluchino
- Department of Reproductive Medicine and Child Development, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
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