ArticleInternational journal of molecular sciences2021
De novo Neurosteroidogenesis in Human Microglia: Involvement of the 18 kDa Translocator Protein.
Article in International journal of molecular sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- HMC3 revealed: how much do these "Microglia" really tell us?Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- The Role of Prenatal Microglial Activation and Its Sex Differences in the Development of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Neurodegenerative Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Refining seizure foci localization: the potential of TSPO-PET.Acta epileptologica · 2025Review
- Review
- 18 kDa TSPO targeting drives polarized human microglia towards a protective and restorative neurosteroidome profile.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2025Article
- A Comprehensive Functional Investigation of the Human Translocator Protein 18 kDa (TSPO) in a Novel Human Neuronal Cell Knockout Model.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Functional Food Nutrients, Redox Resilience Signaling and Neurosteroids for Brain Health.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Indole-Based Compounds in the Development of Anti-Neurodegenerative Agents.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Neuroactive Steroids, Toll-like Receptors, and Neuroimmune Regulation: Insights into Their Impact on Neuropsychiatric Disorders.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Selection of suitable reference genes for gene expression studies in HMC3 cell line by quantitative real-time RT-PCR.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- The Effects of Neuroactive Steroids on Myelin in Health and Disease.Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre · 2024Review
- Indol-3-ylglyoxylamide as Privileged Scaffold in Medicinal Chemistry.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Human Microglia Synthesize Neurosteroids to Cope with Rotenone-Induced Oxidative Stress.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
- Targeting TSPO Reduces Inflammation and Apoptosis in an In Vitro Photoreceptor-Like Model of Retinal Degeneration.ACS chemical neuroscience · 2022Article
- Translocator Protein Ligand PIGA1138 Reduces Disease Symptoms and Severity in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Model of Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.Molecular neurobiology · 2022Article
- Autism-Like Behavior in the Offspring ofFrontiers in neuroscience · 2021Article
- Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membranes in Microglia: One Contact Site to Rule Them all.Contact (Thousand Oaks (Ventura County, Calif.))Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Neuroactive steroids are potent modulators of microglial functions and are capable of counteracting their excessive reactivity. This action has mainly been ascribed to neuroactive steroids released from other sources, as microglia have been defined unable to produce neurosteroids de novo. Unexpectedly, immortalized murine microglia recently exhibited this de novo biosynthesis; herein, de novo neurosteroidogenesis was characterized in immortalized human microglia. The results demonstrated that C20 and HMC3 microglial cells constitutively express members of the neurosteroidogenesis multiprotein machinery-in particular, the transduceosome members StAR and TSPO, and the enzyme CYP11A1. Moreover, both cell lines produce pregnenolone and transcriptionally express the enzymes involved in neurosteroidogenesis. The high TSPO expression levels observed in microglia prompted us to assess its role in de novo neurosteroidogenesis. TSPO siRNA and TSPO synthetic ligand treatments were used to reduce and prompt TSPO function, respectively. The TSPO expression downregulation compromised the de novo neurosteroidogenesis and led to an increase in StAR expression, probably as a compensatory mechanism. The pharmacological TSPO stimulation the de novo neurosteroidogenesis improved in turn the neurosteroid-mediated release of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that de novo neurosteroidogenesis occurs in human microglia, unravelling a new mechanism potentially useful for future therapeutic purposes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.