Sexual Steroids and their Receptors Affect Microglia-Mediated Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases have been marked by neuroinflammation and remarkable sexual differences in prevalence and pathology preclinically and clinically. Microglia, the resident innate immune cells in the brain, present sexual dimorphism in terms of number, morphology, and distribution in neurodegenerative diseases, especially in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. This sexual dimorphism of microglia play as a big fish in healthy and disorder brain. But the mechanisms for the divergence are not well known. Microglia plays an active role in early healthy male and female brain development, including sexual differentiation and development of neurodegenerative diseases. It has been found that microglia are a key fastener involved in neurodegenerative diseases and sexual steroids, such as estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone, have anti-inflammatory effects on microglia-mediated neuroinflammation. The interaction between sexual hormone and neuroinflammation in male and female’s neuroimmune signal catches researchers’ eyes at a high rate of speed. Here we focus on recent advances in microglia-mediated neuroinflammation relative with gender differences in neurodegenerative diseases.