Affiliations: Department of Anesthesiology & Peri-Operative
Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Mingyue Liu, MD, PhD, Department of
Anesthesiology & Peri-Operative Medicine, Oregon Health & Science
University, 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, UHS-2, Portland, OR 97239-3098,
USA. Tel.: +1 503 494 6251; Fax: +1 503 494 3092; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Biological sex is an important determinant of stroke risk and
outcome. Women are protected from cerebrovascular disease relative to men, an
observation commonly attributed to the protective effect of female sex
hormones, estrogen and progesterone. However, sex differences in brain injury
persist well beyond the menopause and can be found in the pediatric population,
suggesting that the effects of reproductive steroids may not completely explain
sexual dimorphism in stroke. We review recent advances in our understanding of
sex steroids (estradiol, progesterone and testosterone) in the context of
ischemic cell death and neuroprotection. Understanding the molecular and
cell-based mechanisms underlying sex differences in ischemic brain injury will
lead to a better understanding of basic mechanisms of brain cell death and is
an important step toward designing more effective therapeutic interventions in
stroke.
