E. Leonelli

TL;DR: The hypothesis that neuroactive steroids might represent a new therapeutic strategy for peripheral neuropathy is proposed.

TL;DR: Chronic treatment with progesterone, dihydroprogesterone or its derivatives, DHP and THP, counteracted the impairment of nerve conduction velocity and thermal threshold, restored skin innervation density, and improved Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity and mRNA levels of myelin proteins, suggesting that these neuroactive steroids, might be useful protective agents in diabetic neuropathy.

TL;DR: The data suggest that P, DHP and THP may represent useful therapeutic alternatives to maintain peripheral nerve integrity in aged animals and reduce aging-associated morphological abnormalities of myelin and aging- associated myelin fiber loss in the sciatic nerve.

TL;DR: Data indicates that neuroactive steroids stimulate the expression of two important proteins of the myelin of peripheral nerves, the glycoprotein P0 (P0) and the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22), suggesting that these molecules may represent an interesting new therapeutic approach to maintain peripheral nerve integrity during neurodegenerative events.

TL;DR: It is described how myelin sheaths lost as a consequence of exposure to a demyelinating insult and the regenerative process by which they are restored are partially reversed by steroid hormones and their derivatives.