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Aromatase Expression by Reactive Astroglia Is Neuroprotective
Author(s) -
AZCOITIA IÑIGO,
SIERRA AMANDA,
VEIGA SERGIO,
GARCIASEGURA LUIS M.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1286.028
Subject(s) - aromatase , neuroprotection , endogeny , testosterone (patch) , biology , central nervous system , medicine , endocrinology , chemistry , neuroscience , microbiology and biotechnology , cancer , breast cancer
A bstract : The enzyme aromatase catalyzes the conversion of testosterone and other C19 steroids to estradiol. Under normal circumstances, the expression of aromatase in the central nervous system of mammals is restricted to neurons. However, the expression of the enzyme is induced in astrocytes in vitro by stressful stimuli. Furthermore, different types of brain injury induce in vivo the expression of aromatase in reactive astrocytes. The expression of aromatase by reactive astrocytes is neuroprotective, because the pharmacological inhibition of the enzyme in the brain exacerbates neuronal death after different forms of mild neurodegenerative stimuli that do not significantly affect neuronal survival under control conditions. These findings indicate that the induction of aromatase in reactive astrocytes, and the consecutive increase in the local production of estradiol in the brain at injured sites, may be an endogenous neural response to reduce the extent of neurodegenerative damage.