Female sex hormones exacerbate retinal neurodegeneration.
bioRxiv
; 2024 Jul 16.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39071341
ABSTRACT
Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and macular degeneration represent major sources of human suffering, yet the factors influencing disease severity remain poorly understood. Sex has been implicated as one potential modifying factor. Here, we show that female sex is a risk factor for worsened outcomes in a model of retinal degeneration. Further, we show that this susceptibility is caused by the presence of female-specific circulating sex hormones. The adverse effect of female sex hormones was specific to diseased retinal neurons, and depletion of these hormones ameliorated this phenotypic effect. These findings provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of neurogenerative diseases and how sex hormones can impact the severity of disease. These findings have far-reaching implications for clinical trial design and the use of hormonal therapy in females with certain neurogenerative disorders.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BioRxiv
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos
Pais de publicación:
Estados Unidos