Integrative Medicine Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering, SRM University, Kattankulathur 603 203, Tamil Nadu, India.
Integrative Medicine Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering, SRM University, Kattankulathur 603 203, Tamil Nadu, India.
J Chem Neuroanat. 2019 Jan;95:6-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2018.02.008. Epub 2018 Mar 2.
Reproductive aging in females is marked by alterations in gonadal hormones, estrogen and progesterone, that facilitate cessation of reproductive cycles and onset of female-specific diseases such as autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, hormone-dependent cancers, and osteoporosis. Bidirectional communication between the three homeostatic systems, nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system, is essential for the maintenance of health and any dysfunction in the cross-talk promotes the development of diseases and cancer. The pleiotropic effects of estrogen on neural-immune interactions may promote either neuroprotection or inflammatory conditions depending on the site of action, dose and duration of treatment, type of estrogen receptors and its influence on intracellular signaling pathways, etc. Our studies involving treatment of early middle-aged female rats with low and high doses of estrogen and examining the brain areas, thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes revealed that estrogen-induced changes in neural-immune interactions are markedly affected in thymus followed by spleen and lymph nodes while it confers neuroprotection in the brain areas. These alterations are determined by antioxidant enzyme status, growth factors, intracellular signaling pathways involved in cell survival and inflammation, and metabolic enzymes and thus, may regulate the various stages in female reproductive aging. It is imperative that detailed longitudinal studies are carried out to understand the mechanisms of neuroendocrine-immune interactions in reproductive aging to facilitate healthy aging and for the development of better treatment strategies for female-specific diseases.
女性生殖衰老的标志是性腺激素（雌激素和孕激素）的改变，这有助于生殖周期的停止和女性特有的疾病的发生，如自身免疫性和神经退行性疾病、激素依赖性癌症和骨质疏松症。三个稳态系统（神经系统、内分泌系统和免疫系统）之间的双向交流对于维持健康至关重要，任何交叉对话的功能障碍都会促进疾病和癌症的发展。雌激素对神经-免疫相互作用的多效性影响可能取决于作用部位、治疗的剂量和持续时间、雌激素受体的类型及其对细胞内信号通路的影响等，从而促进神经保护或炎症状态。我们的研究涉及用低剂量和高剂量雌激素治疗早期中年雌性大鼠，并检查大脑区域、胸腺、脾脏和淋巴结，结果表明，雌激素诱导的神经-免疫相互作用的变化在胸腺中受到明显影响，其次是脾脏和淋巴结，而在大脑区域则赋予神经保护作用。这些变化取决于抗氧化酶状态、参与细胞存活和炎症的生长因子、细胞内信号通路以及代谢酶，因此可能调节女性生殖衰老的各个阶段。至关重要的是，需要进行详细的纵向研究，以了解生殖衰老中神经内分泌-免疫相互作用的机制，从而促进健康衰老，并为女性特有的疾病开发更好的治疗策略。
