11Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases: a novel control of glucocorticoid action in the brain.
Clearly the actions of 11beta-HSDs in the CNS are only beginning to be unraveled, though some principles are emerging. 11Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 inactivates glucocorticoids but is found only in a few very restricted sites in the adult brain. Its role in the fetal CNS is likely to be more extensive, but is largely unexplored. 11Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 is a reductase in CNS cells and amplifies glucocorticoid action. The striking protection against cognitive decline seen in elderly 11beta-HSD1 knockout mice suggest that manipulation of this isozyme may be a useful therapeutic avenue to explore.
Seckl
Jonathan R
JR
Endocrinology Unit, Molecular Medicine Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK. j.seckl@ed.ac.uk
Yau
Joyce
J
Holmes
Megan
M
D042842:11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006913:Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases / Q000502:physiology*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000201:enzymology; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000502:physiology; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000201:enzymology
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D007527:Isoenzymes; D006913:Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; D042842:11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases