@article{oai:soar-ir.repo.nii.ac.jp:00019045,
 author = {Kobayashi, Miyuki and Sugiyama, Nobuhiro and Sasayama, Daimei and Sasamoto, Hidehiko and Miyashiro, Yoshimichi and Arima, Kunimasa and Washizuka, Shinsuke},
 journal = {SCIENTIFIC REPORTS},
 month = {May},
 note = {Animal studies suggest that estrogen receptor beta (ER beta)-agonists, but not ER alpha-agonists, are antidepressants. Several endogenous ligands for ER beta have been proposed, including 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta,17 beta-diol (3 beta Adiol), Androstenediol (Delta 5-diol), and 7 alpha-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone (7 alpha-OH-DHEA). The aim of this study was to determine the serum and salivary levels of natural ER beta ligands in men and women with and without past depressive episodes in the elderly population. DHEA (a precursor of 3 beta Adiol, Delta 5-diol, and 7 alpha-OH-DHEA), 17 beta-estradiol (E2), and cortisol (F) were also measured. Samples were collected from 51 subjects and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was used for measurement. Comparisons were made between groups based on sex and depression history. E2, 3 beta Adiol, and Delta 5-diol levels were significantly lower in women than in men regardless of depression history. There were no significant differences between men and women in DHEA or 7 alpha-OH-DHEA levels. DHEA was significantly lower in women with depression than in women without depression. Reduced DHEA levels may be related to depression vulnerability in women. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanism underlying sex differences in the prevalence of depression and increased risk of depression during menopause. Not only E2 but also two other estrogenic steroids (3 beta Adiol and Delta 5-diol) should be involved in these studies., Article, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 6:25878 (2016)},
 title = {Sex differences in the serum level of endogenous ligands for estrogen receptor beta in the elderly population},
 volume = {6},
 year = {2016}
}