Exploration of the Possible Relationships Between Gut and Hypothalamic Inflammation and Allopregnanolone: Preclinical Findings in a Post-Finasteride Rat Model
Diviccaro S, Oleari R, Amoruso F, Fontana F, Cioffi L, Chrostek G, Abenante V, Troisi J, Cariboni A, Giatti S, Melcangi RC
Biomolecules2025
Summary (paraphrased)
2025 follow-up preclinical study in rats treated with finasteride for 20 days then withdrawn for a month, with allopregnanolone given to a subgroup during withdrawal. Withdrawal produced colonic inflammation (elevated M1 macrophages, reduced butyrate) alongside hypothalamic neuroinflammation (GFAP, Iba-1) and blood–brain-barrier integrity changes; allopregnanolone treatment rescued many of these markers, though only partially restoring mucosal and BBB structure and the NF-κB/PPARγ pathway.
Why it’s in the corpus
Extends the PFS gut–brain inflammation model from the colon to the hypothalamus with metabolomic and BBB readouts, strengthening the mechanistic case for neurosteroid-based intervention strategies.
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