title: Alzheimer, mitochondria and gender.
abstract: Epidemiological studies revealed that two-thirds of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients are women and the drop of sex steroid hormones after the menopause has been proposed to be one risk factor in AD. Similarly, the decrease of circulating testosterone levels with aging may also increase the risk of AD in men. Studies attest the neuroprotective effects of sex hormones in animal models of AD, but clinical trial data remain controversial. Here, we discuss the implication of mitochondria in gender differences observed in AD patients and animal models of AD. We summarize the role of mitochondria in aging and AD, pointing to the potential correlation between the loss of sex hormones and changes in the brain redox status. We discuss the protective effects of the sex hormones, estradiol, progesterone and testosterone with a specific focus on mitochondrial dysfunction in AD. The understanding of pathological processes linking the loss of sex hormones with mitochondrial dysfunction and mechanisms that initiate the disease onset may open new avenues for the development of gender-specific therapeutic approaches.
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology Laboratory for Brain Aging and Mental Health, Transfaculty Research Platform, Molecular & Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Str. 27, CH-4012 Basel, Switzerland; Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Str. 27, CH-4012 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Amandine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grimm
authors.affiliation: Biopathologie de la Myéline, Neuroprotection et Stratégies Thérapeutiques, INSERM U1119, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg (FMTS), Université de Strasbourg, Bâtiment 3 de la Faculté de Médecine, 11 rue Humann, 67000 Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Ayikoe Guy
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Mensah-Nyagan
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology Laboratory for Brain Aging and Mental Health, Transfaculty Research Platform, Molecular & Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Str. 27, CH-4012 Basel, Switzerland; Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Str. 27, CH-4012 Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: anne.eckert@upkbs.ch.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eckert
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D000818:Animals; D004958:Estradiol; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D004958:Estradiol
keywords: Abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau protein; Aging; Alzheimer’s disease; Amyloid-β; Bioenergetic impairments; Gender differences; Mitochondria; Oxidative stress; Sex steroid hormones