The importance of estrogens in controlling brain and behavioral sexual differentiation in female rodents is an unresolved issue in the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology. Whereas, the current dogma states that the female brain develops independently of estradiol, many studies have hinted at possible roles of estrogen in female sexual differentiation. Accordingly, it has been proposed that a...

While the conflict between basic science evidence for estrogen neuroprotection and the lack of effectiveness in clinical trials is only now being resolved, it is clear that strategies for estrogen neuroprotection that avoid activation of ERs have the potential for clinical application. Herein we review the evidence from both in vitro and in vivo studies that describe high potency neuroprotectio...

The incidence and severity of rheumatoid arthritis decline during pregnancy. However, the role of hormones of pregnancy, including estrogens and relaxin, in attenuating the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, including joint inflammation and bone destruction is unknown. In rat adjuvant-induced arthritis, a model for rheumatoid arthritis, relaxin in combination with estrogens, reduced joint inflam...

Recent discoveries highlight the emerging role of estrogens in the initiation and progression of different malignancies through their interaction with stem cell (SC) compartment. Estrogens play a relevant role especially for those tumors bearing a gender disparity in incidence and aggressiveness, as occurs for most thyroid diseases. Although several experimental lines suggest that estrogens pro...

A growing body of evidence from basic and clinical studies supports the therapeutic potential of estrogens in multiple sclerosis (MS), originating from the well-established reduction in relapse rates observed among women with MS during pregnancy. The biological effects of estrogens are mediated by estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ). Estrogens or selective ER-agonists have been shown to exert pote...