title: Membrane fluidity effects of estratrienes.
abstract: Estrogens have demonstrable neuroprotective effects. This fact has lead to the proposed use of estrogens for the prevention and/or treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The exact protective mechanism estrogens provide is not fully understood. In this report, a potential non-genomic mechanism for estratrienes involving alterations in membrane fluidity was studied. Steroids, such as estrogen, are known to be membrane-active and can alter the lipid packing. In this study we used fluorescent methodologies to address the effect of naturally occurring steroids (17alpha and 17beta-estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone) and new estratriene analogs on membrane fluidity using liposomes and HT-22 hippocampal cells. The study's results indicate steroids, based on the estratriene nucleus, can modulate lipid packing as evidenced by (1) decreased membrane fusion events and (2) decreased membrane fluidity. The effects on the membrane were both time and concentration dependent. It was also demonstrated through rational design estratriene analogs can be synthesized with enhanced membrane effects. Finally, in a glutamate-induced toxicity HT-22 model, we also demonstrated cellular protection with the estratriene-based molecules and analogs. The data suggest the plethora of cellular actions of estrogens may relate to or be influenced by membrane effects of the steroid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belford
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Prokai
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Simpkins
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004161:Diphenylhexatriene / Q000494:pharmacology; D045166:Estradiol Congeners / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D008081:Liposomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008560:Membrane Fluidity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008561:Membrane Fusion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D045166:Estradiol Congeners; D004967:Estrogens; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008081:Liposomes; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D004161:Diphenylhexatriene