Astrocytes mediate protective actions of estrogenic compounds after traumatic brain injury

Cynthia Martin-Jiménez, Diana Milena Gaitán-Vaca, Natalia Areiza, Valentina Echeverria, Ghulam Md Ashraf, Janneth González, Amirhossein Sahebkar, Luis Miguel Garcia-Segura, George E. Barreto

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health problem. It may result in severe neurological disabilities and in a variety of cellular metabolic alterations for which available therapeutic strategies are limited. In the last decade, the use of estrogenic compounds, which activate protective mechanisms in astrocytes, has been explored as a potential experimental therapeutic approach. Previous works have suggested estradiol (E2) as a neuroprotective hormone that acts in the brain by binding to estrogen receptors (ERs). Several steroidal and nonsteroidal estrogenic compounds can imitate the effects of estradiol on ERs. These include hormonal estrogens, phytoestrogens and synthetic estrogens, such as selective ER modulators or tibolone. Current evidence of the role of astrocytes in mediating protective actions of estrogenic compounds after TBI is reviewed in this paper. We conclude that the use of estrogenic compounds to modulate astrocytic properties is a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of TBI.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)142-160
Number of pages19
JournalNeuroendocrinology
Volume108
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Astrocytes
  • Estrogenic compounds
  • Neuroprotection
  • Traumatic brain injury

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