Dong Yi-Long, Yue Yun, Liu Feng-Hua, Lang Sen-Yang, Zhang Xiao-Chun, Dai Shun-Ling, Ge Qin-Sheng, Zuo Ping-Ping
Institute of Basic Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China 100005.
Endocrine. 2006 Dec;30(3):249-54. doi: 10.1007/s12020-006-0001-8.
Although neuroprotective effects of estrogen on postmenopausal women have been recognized, an associated increased incidence of uterine and breast tumors has jeopardized the clinical use of estrogen. This study was designed to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of a novel phytoestrogen alpha-zearalanol (alpha-ZAL), on ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Adult Wistar rats were ovariectomized or sham-operated and treatment with equivalent doses of 17beta-estradiol or alpha-ZAL for 5 wk. Uteruses have been weighted and stained by hematoxylin and eosin for morphology analysis. The expression of synaptophysin and parvalbumin in hippocampus were evaluated by immunohistochemistry assays. Our experiments indicated that the synaptophysin and parvalbumin-positive areas were significantly decreased in the OVX group compared to the sham group, alpha-ZAL or 17beta-estradiol administration can reverse the effects. Although alpha-ZAL and 17beta-estradiol treatments reconciled uterus weight loss which was induced by ovariectomy, the effect of alpha-ZAL was less than 17beta-estradiol. This result suggests that alpha-ZAL may effectively abate neurons loss in the hippocampus while slightly promoting weight gain of the uterus.
尽管雌激素对绝经后女性的神经保护作用已得到认可，但子宫和乳腺肿瘤发病率的相应增加危及了雌激素的临床应用。本研究旨在评估新型植物雌激素α-玉米赤霉醇（α-ZAL）对去卵巢（OVX）大鼠的神经保护作用。将成年Wistar大鼠去卵巢或假手术，并给予等量的17β-雌二醇或α-ZAL治疗5周。对子宫进行称重并用苏木精和伊红染色以进行形态学分析。通过免疫组织化学分析评估海马中突触素和小白蛋白的表达。我们的实验表明，与假手术组相比，OVX组中突触素和小白蛋白阳性区域明显减少，给予α-ZAL或17β-雌二醇可逆转这种效应。虽然α-ZAL和17β-雌二醇治疗可缓解去卵巢引起的子宫重量减轻，但α-ZAL的作用小于17β-雌二醇。这一结果表明，α-ZAL可能有效减轻海马中的神经元损失，但对子宫重量增加的促进作用较小。
