Table 1.

In vivo studies and neuroprotection in female rodents: studies showing protection of DA markers.

Steroid	Toxin	Species	Assay	References
ESTROGENS
17 β-estradiol
0.5 or 2 mg/kg 30 min before and 90 min after MPTP	MPTP	Intact mice	DOPAC concentrations (with 2 mg/kg)	Ookubo et al. (2008)
			DAT (with 2 mg/kg) and TH protein levels
Pellet (0.1 mg, 60-day release) for 15 days	MPTP	OVX mice	DA concentrations	Dluzen et al. (1996)
Pellet (0.1 mg, 21-day release) for 14 days	MPTP	OVX mice	DA concentrations	Dluzen et al. (2001b)
Pellet (235 μg/ml) before MPTP and 2 days after	MPTP	OVX mice	DA, DOPAC, and HVA concentrations	Miller et al. (1998)
50 μg/kg for 19 days	MPTP	OVX mice	DAT mRNA levels	Liu et al. (2004)
Single injection of 10 μg, co-administered with MPP+	MPP+	Intact rats	DA concentrations TH immunoreactivity	Tomas-Camardiel et al. (2002)
Pellet (0.1 mg, 21-day release) for 14 days	MA	Intact and OVX mice	DA concentrations	Dluzen et al. (2001a, 2002), Gao and Dluzen (2001b)
Estradiol benzoate
50 μg/kg for 8 days	MPTP	OVX mice	DA, DOPAC, and HVA concentrations	Liu et al. (2008)
			TH immunoreactivity
			DAT and TH mRNA levels
48 pg or 0.47 μg for 3 days	MA	OVX mice (6 weeks)	DA concentrations	Yu and Liao (2000a), Yu et al. (2002)
1, 10, or 40 μg 24 h before MA	MA	OVX mice	DA concentrations DAT and VMAT2 specific binding	Mickley and Dluzen (2004), D’Astous et al. (2005a)
10 μg 0.5, 12, or 24 h before MA	MA	OVX mice	DA concentrations (at 12 and 24 h)	Gajjar et al. (2003), D’Astous et al. (2004a)
			DOPAC/DA ratio
			DAT specific binding (at 24 h)
			DAT mRNA levels
PROGESTERONE
0.467 mg for 3 days	MA	OVX mice	DA concentrations	Yu and Liao (2000a)
17 β-ESTRADIOL BENZOATE  + PROGESTERONE
2 days of estradiol benzoate treatment (0.467 μg) following by 1 day progesterone treatment (0.467 mg)	MA	OVX mice	DA and DOPAC concentrations	Yu and Liao (2000a)

DOPAC, 3,4-dihydrophenylacetic acid; HVA, homovanillic acid; OVX, ovariectomized; TH, tyrosine hydroxylase.