Postmenopausal women these days are given estrogen hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for treating problems like depression, hot flashes and menopause-induced dementia, on the downside the therapy was observed to increase the risk of stroke, heart disease and cancer. To counter this problem a team of scientists have developed a specialized therapy to boost estrogen in the brain, leaving the rest of the body unharmed.

Like Us on Facebook

If ovaries of women are removed surgically for reasons including but not limited to cancer treatment, the levels of estrogen in their body will decrease drastically resulting in problems like hot flashes and osteoporosis and in some cases even dementia and depression. The research published in Science Translational Medicine therefore studied the effects of boosting estrogen only in the brain with the help of rat experiments, reported Science.

Laszlo Prokai, a chemical biologist at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth noted that a chemical nicknamed DHED is similar to human estrogen but with an extra oxygen atom. A protein present in the brain of rodents is found to recognize DHED and convert it into estrogen by chopping the oxygen molecule. The specialized chemical that is present in the brain is observed to be absent in other parts of the body, reported Science News.

"Because this pro-drug remains completely inactive everywhere else in the body, you can remedy the neurological and psychiatric symptoms associated with estrogen deficiency while avoiding side effects in the rest of the body," noted Prokai, according to Newswise.

When DHED was administered to female rats without ovaries, it was observed that the levels of estrogen in the brain were reasonably increased but not in blood stream and uterus. The researchers who have already started the study on nonhuman primates report that the study holds hope for treating postmenopausal women with estrogen related problems.

Roberta Brinton, a neuropharmacologist of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, said, "This could be very applicable for women suffering from hot flashes or depression for whom estrogen therapy is really counter-indicated." She also noted, "Specifically targeting the brain might have some potential advantages but you aren't protecting against osteoporosis and other conditions associated with the loss of hormones." 

TagsEstrogen Replacement Therapy, depression, Postmenopausal women, menopause, hot flashes