Advances in steroid research from the pioneering neurosteroid concept to metabolomics: New insights into pregnenolone function

1. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2024 Jan;72:101113. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101113.
Epub 2023 Nov 21.

Advances in steroid research from the pioneering neurosteroid concept to
metabolomics: New insights into pregnenolone function.

Vallée M(1).

Author information:
(1)University Bordeaux, INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, F-33000 Bordeaux,
France. Electronic address: .

Advances in neuroendocrinology have led to major discoveries since the 19th
century, identifying adaptive loops for maintaining homeostasis. One of the most
remarkable discoveries was the concept of neurosteroids, according to which the
brain is not only a target but also a source of steroid production. The
identification of new membrane steroid targets now underpins the neuromodulatory
effects of neurosteroids such as pregnenolone, which is involved in functions
mediated by the GPCR CB1 receptor. Structural analysis of steroids is a key
feature of their interactions with the phospholipid membrane, receptors and
resulting activity. Therefore, mass spectrometry-based methods have been
developed to elucidate the metabolic pathways of steroids, the ultimate approach
being metabolomics, which allows the identification of a large number of
metabolites in a single sample. This approach should enable us to make progress
in understanding the role of neurosteroids in the functioning of physiological
and pathological processes.

Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101113
PMID: 37993022 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors
declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal
relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this
paper.

Auteurs Bordeaux Neurocampus