Maturitas. 2005 Mar 14;50(3):182-8.
Effects of raloxifene on serum malondialdehyde,
erythrocyte superoxide dismutase, and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase
levels in healthy postmenopausal women.
Kaya H, Ozkaya O, Sezik M, Arslanoglu E, Yilmaztepe A, Ulukaya E.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Suleyman
Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey.
Objective: To investigate the relationship between raloxifene administration
and serum malondialdehyde (MDA), erythrocyte superoxide dismutase
(SOD), erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels in healthy
postmenopausal women. Methods: In a randomized and placebo-controlled
design, 80 women received either 60mg/day raloxifene or placebo
for 24 weeks. MDA, SOD, and GPx levels were assessed at 0,4,12,
and 24 weeks. Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Mann-Whitney U test
were used for comparisons. Results: Six women in the treatment arm
and eight women in the placebo group discontinued the study. Mean
serum MDA levels were significantly (p = 0.001) decreased from 11.4nmol/ml
at baseline to 8.9nmol/ml at week 12 with raloxifene treatment.
Mean erythrocyte SOD activity was significantly (p = 0.02) reduced
from 1472U/gHb at baseline to 1173U/gHb at week 12 following raloxifene
administration. Lowered serum MDA and erythrocyte SOD levels persisted
during treatment. On contrary, erythrocyte GPx levels did not change
significantly with raloxifene administration. Conclusions: Raloxifene
(60mg/day) lowers serum MDA levels and erythrocyte SOD activity
in postmenopausal women after 12 weeks of treatment. The clinical
implications of these findings need to be determined.
Neuroimage. 2005 Mar;25(1):63-75. Epub
2005 Jan 12. Raloxifene exposure enhances brain
activation during memory performance in healthy elderly males;
its possible relevance to behavior.
Goekoop R, Duschek EJ, Knol DL, Barkhof F, Netelenbos C, Scheltens
P, Rombouts SA.
Department of Neurology, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan
1117 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Raloxifene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that
is prescribed in females only, but its use in male subjects is
increasingly considered. With a growing number of patients having
potential benefit from raloxifene, the need for an assessment
of its effects on brain function is growing. Effects of estrogens
on brain function are very subtle and difficult to detect by neuropsychological
assessment. Functional imaging techniques, however, have been
relatively successful in detecting such changes. This study used
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine effects
of raloxifene treatment on memory function. Healthy elderly males
(n = 28; mean age 63.6 years, SD 2.4) were scanned during performance
on a face encoding paradigm. Scans were made at baseline and after
3 months of treatment with either raloxifene (n = 14) or placebo
(n = 14). Treatment effects were analyzed using mixed-effects
statistical analysis (FSL). Activation during task performance
involved bilateral parietal and prefrontal areas, anterior cingulate
gyrus, and inferior prefrontal, occipital, and mediotemporal areas
bilaterally. When compared to placebo, raloxifene treatment significantly
enhanced activation in these structures (Z > 3.1), except for
mediotemporal areas. Task performance accuracy diminished in the
placebo group (P = 0.02), but remained constant in the raloxifene
group (P = 0.60). In conclusion, raloxifene treatment enhanced
brain activation in areas spanning a number of different cognitive
domains, suggesting an effect on cortical arousal. Such effects
may translate into small effects on behavior, including effects
on attention and working memory performance, executive functions,
verbal skills, and episodic memory. Further neuropsychological
assessment is necessary to test the validity of these predictions.
