Testosterone attenuates beta-amyloid toxicity in cultured hippocampal neurons.
Accumulating evidence suggests that testosterone has neurotrophic and perhaps neuroprotective actions. Thus, age-related depletion of testosterone may increase the brain's vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. To begin investigating this issue, cultured neurons were exposed to the Alzheimer-related insult beta-amyloid in the presence of testosterone. beta-Amyloid neurotoxicity was significantly reduced by testosterone via a rapid, estrogen-independent mechanism. These data may provide additional insight into the treatment of age-related neurodegenerative disorders.
Pike
C J
CJ
Andrus Gerontology Center, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191, USA. cjpike@usc.edu
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D013739:Testosterone