Estrogens are oncogenic hormones at a high level in breast, prostate, endometrial and lung cancer. Estrogens are synthesized by aromatase which has been used as a biomarker both in breast and lung cancer. Estrogen biological activities are executed by their classic receptors (ERα and ERβ). ERα has been described as a cancer promoter and ERβ, as a possible tumor suppressor. Both receptors are present at low levels in primary multiforme glioblastoma (GBM). The GBM frequency is 50 % higher in men than in women. The GBM patient survival period ranges from 7 to 18 months. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate aromatase and estrogen receptor expression, as well as 17ß-estradiol concentration in astrocytoma patients biopsies to obtain a prognosis biomarker for these patients. We analyzed 36 biopsies of astrocytoma patients with a different grade (I-IV) of malignity. Aromatase and estrogen receptor mRNA expression were analyzed by semiquantitative RT-PCR, and the E2 levels, by ELISA. E2 concentration was higher in GBM, compared to grade II or III astrocytomas. The number of cells immunoreactive to aromatase and estrogen receptors decreased as the grade of tumor malignity increased. Aromatase mRNA expression was present in all biopsies, regardless of malignity grade or patient age or gender. The highest expression of aromatase mRNA in GBM patients was associated to the worst survival prognostic (6.28 months). In contrast lowest expression of ERα mRNA in astrocytoma patients had a worst prognosis. In conclusion, aromatase and ERα expression could be used as prognosis biomarkers for astrocytoma patients.

We performed experiments in cats with a spinal cord penetrating hemisection at T13-L1 level, with and without tamoxifen treatment. The results showed that the numbers of the ipsilateral and contralateral ventral horn neurons were reduced to less than half in the nontreated animals compared with the treated ones. Also, axons myelin sheet was preserved to almost normal values in treated cats. On the contrary, in the untreated animals, their myelin sheet was reduced to 28% at 30 days after injury (DAI), in both the ipsilateral and contralateral regions of the spinal cord. Additionally, we made hindlimb kinematics experiments to study the effects of tamoxifen on cat locomotion after the injury: at 4, 16, and 30 DAI. We observed that the ipsilateral hindlimb angular displacement (AD) of the pendulum-like movements (PLM) during gait locomotion was recovered to almost normal values in treated cats. Contralateral PLM acquired similar values to those obtained in intact cats. At 4 DAI, untreated animals showed a compensatory increment of PLM occurring in the contralateral hindlimb, which was partially recovered at 30 DAI. Our findings indicate that tamoxifen exerts a neuroprotective effect and preserves or produces myelinated axons, which could benefit the locomotion recovery in injured cats.