Functional interactions between steroid hormones and neurotrophin BDNF

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a critical neurotrophin, regulates many neuronal aspects including cell differentiation, cell survival, neurotransmission, and synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system (CNS). Though BDNF has two types of receptors, high affinity tropomyosin-related kinase (Trk)B and low affinity p75 receptors, BDNF positively exerts its biological effects on neurons via activation of TrkB and of resultant intracellular signaling cascades including mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase, phospholipase Cγ, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathways. Notably, it is possible that alteration in the expression and/or function of BDNF in the CNS is involved in the pathophysiology of various brain diseases such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and mental disorders. On the other hand, glucocorticoids, stress-induced steroid hormones, also putatively contribute to the pathophysiology of depression. Interestingly, in addition to the reduction in BDNF levels due to increased glucocorticoid exposure, current reports demonstrate possible interactions between glucocorticoids and BDNF-mediated neuronal functions. Other steroid hormones, such as estrogen, are involved in not only sexual differentiation in the brain, but also numerous neuronal events including cell survival and synaptic plasticity. Furthermore, it is well known that estrogen plays a role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and mental illness, while serving to regulate BDNF expression and/or function. Here, we present a broad overview of the current knowledge concerning the association between BDNF expression/function and steroid hormones (glucocorticoids and estrogen).