'Progesterone: A Neuroprotective Steroid of the Intestine'

[KemptonD]

'Progesterone could be used in the fight against Parkinson’s disease'

is the title this medical news article;

google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&u...

The article refers to this study;

'Progesterone: A Neuroprotective Steroid of the Intestine'

Lennart Norman Stegemann et al. Cells. 2023.

Free PMC article

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/371...

This study doesn't leap to suggest a use of progesterone for treatment of PD, but notes

'Even if it is not always easy to transfer research results from animals to humans, these data on the neuroprotective effect of progesterone in the ENS, which have only been generated in two different Parkinson’s models so far, can initially be considered promising.'

[park_bear]

Full study here:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

This was a cell culture study. Cultures were treated simultaneously with toxin and progesterone:

"The wells were divided into five groups. The groups were as follows: control group, rotenone 1 nM (#45656, Sigma-Aldrich), progesterone 10 nM (#P8783. Sigma-Aldrich), rotenone 1 nM + progesterone 10 nM, rotenone 1 nM + progesterone 10 nM + AG205 5 nM (#A1487, Sigma-Aldrich) and AG205 5 nM only.."

This is not a valid model of Parkinson's - toxin needs to be applied and time allowed for the ensuing toxic cascade characteristic of Parkinson's to develop first. All the study shows is progesterone is neuroprotective at the time the rotenone is applied. For further discussion of this matter see here:

healthunlocked.com/cure-par...

In addition, progesterone is problematic because it is a feminizing hormone, but we do not even need to consider that issue.

[KemptonD in reply to park_bear]

medicalnewstoday.com/articl... males age, testosterone begins to decline, estrogen levels rise, and progesterone levels fall dramatically.

Progesterone in men

Progesterone is known as a female hormone, but males need progesterone to produce testosterone. The adrenal glands and testes in males produce progesterone.

In any case hormone therapy is not being suggested for men here, although there's some evidence that Hormone therapy is protective against Parkinson's in women.

'there was some evidence that use of exogenous hormones may increase (fertility treatments) or decrease (postmenopausal hormone therapy) Parkinson disease incidence.'

academic.oup.com/brain/arti...

[ForViolet in reply to KemptonD]

I've got my husband using a small amount of progesterone daily with about 5 days off per month. There is some thought that it works better with periodic stops according to Ray Peat. (Even for men although of course for women going along with their cycle is pretty important.)