Disease relevance of Allopregnanolone

• METHODS: After the contusion, rats were given 4 mg/kg treatment of either allopregnanolone or epiallopregnanolone for five consecutive days beginning 1 hr post-injury [1].

Psychiatry related information on Allopregnanolone

• Based on these findings, it could be inferred that the increase of brain Allo content elicited by fluoxetine and norfluoxetine, rather than the inhibition selective of 5-HT reuptake, may be operative in the fluoxetine-induced remission of the behavioral abnormalities associated with mood disorders [2].

High impact information on Allopregnanolone

• Fluoxetine (FLX) and norfluoxetine (NFLX) stereospecifically reverse the effect of social isolation on the PTB-induced loss of righting reflex and on the decrease of telencephalic Allo content [3].
• We conclude that normalization of PTB action elicited by the S-isomers of FLX and NFLX is related to the reversal of the down-regulation of brain Allo content and is independent of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor activity [3].
• The effect of 5 alpha-pregnan-3 alpha-ol-20-one (epiallopregnanolone) on heterotropic cooperativity on the GABAA receptor complex has been studied in three subtypes of expressed recombinant human receptors and in rat brain and spinal cord [4].
• RESULTS: Cortical GABA and plasma allopregnanolone (ALLO) concentrations were reduced in both groups of postpartum women, regardless of PPD diagnosis, compared to healthy follicular phase women [5].
• This influence of the neuroendocrine system on psychiatric disorders is thought to be mediated by an abnormality in central nervous system response to neuroactive steroids such as estradiol, progesterone, and the progesterone derivative allopregnanolone (ALLO) [6].

Biological context of Allopregnanolone

• The concomitant reduction in peripheral ALLO levels provides further evidence of alterations in the balance between cortical excitation and inhibition during the puerperium [5].

References