Application

DHED has been used to induce an increase of estrogen levels in 3K transgenic mice with Parkinson′s disease (PD)-like motor syndrome.

Biochem/physiol Actions

DHED is a substrate for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-dependent dehydrogenase/reductase. Its expression in the brain is correlated to neuroprotection functionality.

DHED (10β,17β-dihydroxyestra-1,4-dien-3-one) is an inactive prodrug that selectively produces estrogen solely in the brain. DHED is converted to 17β-estradiol in the brain by an enzyme only expressed in the CNS, but is inert in the rest of the body. DHED was found to provide neuroprotection in a rat stroke model and reversed neurological symptoms of estrogen deprivation such as memory problems in female rats lacking ovaries.