Effects of estradiol and growth factors in primary Astrocyte Cultures

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This study provides evidence of the intertwined dialogue between estrogens and both “competence” and “progression” growth factors in regulating astrocyte cytoskeletal protein expression as well as DNA labeling and cyclin D1 and extracellular signal-related kinase 1/2 expression during astroglial cell proliferation and differentiation processes. Because increasing evidence suggests that estrogens exert significant neuroprotective effects against a variety of neurodegenerative pathologies, these findings underscore an interesting estrogens–growth factors cross-talk that might have significant implications in future therapeutic approachs to neurologic disorders associated with astrogliosis.

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