TY - JOUR
T1 - Regulation of the phosphoinositide-3 kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways by progesterone and its reduced metabolites in the rat brain
AU - Guerra-Araiza, Christian
AU - Amorim, Miguel A.R.
AU - Pinto-Almazán, Rodolfo
AU - González-Arenas, Aliesha
AU - Campos, Maria G.
AU - Garcia-Segura, Luis M.
PY - 2009/2/1
Y1 - 2009/2/1
N2 - Several growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and insulin-like growth factor-I are involved in the actions of progesterone in the central nervous system. Previous studies in neuronal and glial cultures have shown that progesterone may regulate growth factor signaling, increasing the phosphorylation of extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) and the phosphorylation of Akt, components of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) signaling pathways, respectively. In this study, we have evaluated whether progesterone and its reduced metabolites, dihydroprogesterone and tetrahydroprogesterone, regulate PI3K and MAPK signaling in the brain of ovariectomized rats in vivo. Significant increases in the phosphorylation of ERK, in the expression of the catalytic (p110) and the regulatory (p85) subunits of PI3K and in the phosphorylation of Akt were observed in the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, and the cerebellum 24 hr after progesterone administration. Progesterone metabolites partially mimicked the effect of progesterone and had a stronger effect on MAPK and PI3K signaling in the hypothalamus than in the other brain regions. These findings suggest that progesterone regulates MAPK and PI3K signaling pathways in the central nervous system in vivo by direct hormonal actions and by mechanisms involving progesterone metabolites.
AB - Several growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and insulin-like growth factor-I are involved in the actions of progesterone in the central nervous system. Previous studies in neuronal and glial cultures have shown that progesterone may regulate growth factor signaling, increasing the phosphorylation of extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) and the phosphorylation of Akt, components of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) signaling pathways, respectively. In this study, we have evaluated whether progesterone and its reduced metabolites, dihydroprogesterone and tetrahydroprogesterone, regulate PI3K and MAPK signaling in the brain of ovariectomized rats in vivo. Significant increases in the phosphorylation of ERK, in the expression of the catalytic (p110) and the regulatory (p85) subunits of PI3K and in the phosphorylation of Akt were observed in the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, and the cerebellum 24 hr after progesterone administration. Progesterone metabolites partially mimicked the effect of progesterone and had a stronger effect on MAPK and PI3K signaling in the hypothalamus than in the other brain regions. These findings suggest that progesterone regulates MAPK and PI3K signaling pathways in the central nervous system in vivo by direct hormonal actions and by mechanisms involving progesterone metabolites.
KW - Akt
KW - Dihydroprogesterone
KW - Extracellular-signal regulated kinase
KW - Tetrahydroprogesterone
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=62849085196&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/jnr.21848
DO - 10.1002/jnr.21848
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 18752305
AN - SCOPUS:62849085196
SN - 0360-4012
VL - 87
SP - 470
EP - 481
JO - Journal of Neuroscience Research
JF - Journal of Neuroscience Research
IS - 2
ER -