| title: | Neuroprotective mechanism of phytoestrogens and estrogens in physiological aging of human brain and in neurodegenaration (post mortem study). |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF5222 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| subject: |
3. Medical Sciences |
| status: | completed |
| institution: | University of Tartu |
| head of project: | Ello Karelson |
| duration: | 01.01.2002 - 31.12.2005 |
| description: | The present project represents a development of previous results by our and other work-groups. The project aims at the postmortem study of the nongenomic mechanisms involved in the neuroprotective effect of est-rogens and their plant analogs, phytoestrogens, in the human brain in normal aging and in neurodegenera-tive diseases (mainly in Alzheimer's disease). Dependence of these mechanims on the age and sex of sub- jects and on the clinical status and histopathological spreding-pattern of the disease will be also elucidated. The study of the regionspecific pecularities in the neuroprotective/antioxidative action of (phyto)estrogens at the level of the neuronal signalling systems' components (G-proteins, GTPase, adenylate cyclase, phospho-lipase C etc.) in the hippocampus, associative and entorchinal cortex and in the other more injured brain areas is planned. Additionally, the project would elucidate whether and how neuroprotective estrogens and phytoestrogens protect the signalling systems against the down-regulation by neurotoxic amyloid-beta pep-tides in normal brain aging and in Alzheimer's disease. The next aim is to elucidate whether neuroprotective activity of natural and synthetic (phyto)estrogens has any relationship to their structure and/or antioxidant efficiency detected by the in vitro systems. The results will be compared with the antioxidant efficiency and neuroprotective activity of classical antioxidants (glutathione, N-acetylcysteine, vitamin E etc.) The study will make possible to apply the drug-forms of neuroprotectively effective phytoestrogens (and est-rogens) for reducing the risk and for deceleration of progression of neurodegenerative diseases. The study would assist to introduce the phytoestrogens (and estrogens) in the treatment scheems of the advanced stages of the diseases. Also, the study would contribute to the purposeful synthesis of new analogs of phyto- estrogens with relatively high neuroprotective efficiency. |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Nenad Bogdanovic | Huddinge Brain Bank (Sweden) | Head of Brain Bank | |
| 2. | Ello Karelson | .Medical Faculty. Dep. Biochemistry | docent | |
| 3. | Riina Mahlapuu | Dep. Biochemistry | reseacher | |
| 4. | Kristiina Roots | Dep. Biochemistry | doctorant | |
| 5. | Külli Teder | Dep. Biochemistry | doctorant | |