Astrocytes mediate the neuroprotective effects of Tibolone following brain injury

Abstract

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Recently, astrocytes have become a key central player in mediating important functions in the brain. These physiological processes include neurotransmitter recycling, energy management, metabolic shuttle, immune sensing, K+ buffer, antioxidant supply and release of neurotrophic factors and gliotransmitters. These astrocytic roles are somehow altered upon brain injury, therefore strategies aimed at better protecting astrocytes are an essential asset to maintain brain homeostasis. In this context, estrogenic compounds, such as Tibolone, have attracted attention for their beneficial effects in acute and chronic degenerative diseases. Tibolone may act through binding to estrogen, androgen or progesterone receptors and exert protective effects by reducing astrocytes cell death and oxidative stress signaling mechanisms. Although Tibolone has a multifactorial effect in the brain, its mechanisms of action are not completely understood. In this work, we highlight the role of Tibolone in brain protection upon damage, how astrocytes might mediate part of its neuroprotective actions and discuss the effects of Tibolone in diminishing the harmful consequences of a metabolic insult and energy failure in the setting of a pathological event.

Keywords

• Astrocytes
• Brain Injuries
• Neuroprotection
• tibolone
• energy failure