ANDROGEN-MEDIATED NEUROPROTECTION AND USES THEREOF

摘要

Androgens, such as testosterone, methyltestosterone, and epitestosterone, are disclosed herein as being neuroprotective, in that they inhibit or prevent cell death or apoptosis of neural cells. A neuroprotective effect of androgens on primary cultures of human neurons with respect to serum deprivation-mediated apoptosis and amyloid beta peptide mediated neurotoxicity is described. The invention thus provides methods and uses of androgens as well as compositions and commercial packages comprising androgens for the prevention and/or treatment of neural or neurodegenerative disease and for the prevention and/or inhibition of cell death. The invention further provides methods of identifying and screening compounds for the prevention and/or treatment of neural or neurodegenerative disease.