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Red wine and ethanol increase aromatase (estrogen synthase) transcription in rat hippocampal formation
Author(s) -
Monteiro Rosário,
Azevedo Isabel,
Calhau Conceição
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.4.a570-d
Subject(s) - aromatase , neuroprotection , hippocampal formation , estrogen , endocrinology , wine , ethanol , medicine , hippocampus , chemistry , pharmacology , biology , biochemistry , food science , cancer , breast cancer
Chronic ethanol consumption leads to oxidative damage in several central nervous system areas, resulting in an impairment of brain functions. The hippocampal formation, involved in memory and learning, is particularly sensitive to this kind of injury. It has been shown that estrogens have neuroprotective properties, and that the expression of aromatase (estrogen synthase) increases in neurons or astrocytes after neurotoxic insults. Although it may seem controversial, some alcoholic beverages have been linked to neuroprotection in the rat, although the mechanisms by which this occurs are largely unknown. Thus, we tested the effect of red wine, or 13% ethanol solution, consumption on the expression of aromatase in the hippocampal formation of the rat. Beverages were supplied to the animals as the only drinking source and a water control group was included. After 8 weeks of treatment, the animals were euthanised and the hippocampus dissected. Aromatase transcription was determined by RT‐PCR. Aromatase transcript levels were increased by ethanol (to 158±7% of control; n=4) but significantly more so by red wine treatment (to 180±9% of control; n=4; p<0.05). If the increase in aromatase expression induced by ethanol occurs as a response to the putative neurotoxic insult of this alcohol, the effect of red wine seems to indicate more than that and may corroborate the neuroprotective ability attributed to this particular beverage. Supported by FCT (POCTI, Feder, Programa Comunitário de Apoio, and SFRH/BD/12622/2003) and IBeSa.