Investigation of the Mechanisms of Progesterone Protection Following Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation in Organotypic Hippocampal Slice Cultures

November 2011 in “ Neuroscience Letters ”

Elizabeth Radley, Asha Akram, Blair D. Grubb, Claire L. Gibson

progesterone allopregnanolone finasteride GABAA receptor AlloP

Studysummary This study reported that progesterone reduces cell death in hippocampal cultures following oxygen–glucose deprivation mainly through its conversion to allopregnanolone and the involvement of GABAA receptors.

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This study investigated the neuroprotective effects of progesterone against oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. It was found that both progesterone and its metabolite allopregnanolone (AlloP) reduced cell death, with optimal protection at a concentration of 0.1 μM. The protective effect of progesterone was dependent on its conversion to AlloP, as inhibition of this conversion with finasteride eliminated the protective benefits. Additionally, the use of picrotoxin, a GABAA receptor antagonist, blocked the protective effects of both progesterone and AlloP, indicating that GABAA receptors played a crucial role in mediating these effects. The study concluded that progesterone's neuroprotection following OGD was largely due to its metabolism to AlloP and the involvement of GABAA receptors.

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