Most breast cancers are exacerbated by estrogen. To combat recurrence of these cancers, clinicians treat patients with estrogen production inhibitors, such as letrozole. However, many patients do not adhere to this treatment due to negative side effects. Preclinical studies in rodents suggest that a drug called 10β,17β-dihydroxyestra-1,4-dien-3-one (DHED), which delivers estrogen only to the brain, may be an effective and safe way to reduce these side effects. new JNeurosciResearchers led by Agnes LaCruz at the University of Massachusetts Amherst investigated how DHED works in older marmosets, a more advanced animal model than rodents.
After treatment with letrozole, the research team found that treating marmosets with DHED specifically increased estrogen in the brain, improving both memory and sleep. DHED also reversed the neuronal changes caused by letrozole. DHED has different effects on thermoregulation in men and women, pointing to the need for further research in this area.
LaCruce says,Our study suggests that DHED is a promising new hormone therapy for women with breast cancer, and perhaps all menopausal women.The researchers plan to investigate the mechanism by which DHED acts in the brain and assess whether different doses of the drug improve the thermoregulation problems caused by the treatment.
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Reference magazines:
Cournoyer, H. Others. (2026). Brain-selective estrogen therapy in male and female marmosets partially counteracts the negative effects of aromatase inhibition on brain and behavior. Journal of Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2021-25.2026. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2026/05/28/JNEUROSCI.2021-25.2026
