Department of Neuroanatomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Department of Neuroanatomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 Aug;67:125-36. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.11.016. Epub 2015 Dec 14.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and demyelinating disease that shows a female-to-male gender prevalence and alleviation of disease activity during late stage pregnancy. In MS-related animal models, sex steroids ameliorate symptoms and protect from demyelination and neuronal damage. Underlying mechanisms of these protective avenues are continuously discovered, in part by using novel transgenic animal models. In this review article, we highlight the regulation of glia cell function by female sex steroids. We specifically focus on the relevance of glia cells for immune cell recruitment into the central nervous system and show how estrogen and progesterone can modulate these cell-cell communication pathways. Since MS is considered to have a strong neurodegenerative component, principal neuroprotective mechanisms, exerted by sex-steroids will be discussed as well. Activation of steroid receptors might not just act as immunosuppressant but at the same time harmonize brain-intrinsic networks to dampen neurodegeneration and, thus, disease progression in MS.
多发性硬化症（MS）是一种慢性炎症性脱髓鞘疾病，其性别发病倾向为女性高于男性，并且在妊娠晚期疾病活动度减轻。在与 MS 相关的动物模型中，性激素可改善症状并防止脱髓鞘和神经元损伤。这些保护途径的潜在机制正在不断被发现，部分原因是使用了新型转基因动物模型。在这篇综述文章中，我们强调了雌性性激素对神经胶质细胞功能的调节。我们特别关注神经胶质细胞在免疫细胞招募到中枢神经系统中的相关性，并展示了雌激素和孕激素如何调节这些细胞间通讯途径。由于 MS 被认为具有很强的神经退行性成分，因此我们将讨论性激素发挥的主要神经保护机制。类固醇受体的激活不仅可以起到免疫抑制作用，同时还可以协调大脑内在网络，从而减轻 MS 中的神经退行性变和疾病进展。
