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Current Medicinal Chemistry

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 0929-8673
ISSN (Online): 1875-533X

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Editorial

Neurosteroids and their Therapeutic Potential: Remembering the Contribution of Dr. Sabina Luchetti, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Author(s): Flavia di Michele*

Volume 31, Issue 20, 2024

Published on: 13 December, 2023

Page: [2895 - 2899] Pages: 5

DOI: 10.2174/0109298673270157231120072205

Abstract

This article traces the career of Dr. Sabina Luchetti (1969–2021), a noted physician (medical doctor, specialized in Neurology at Tor Vergata University of Rome, Italy), a dedicated neuroscientist (Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Tor Vergata University and IRCCS Santa Lucia of Rome), and a member of a renowned Netherlands group (senior researcher at Professor Swaab Laboratory of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands), working in the field of brain function and diseases. She is particularly involved in the study of natural compounds, such as neurosteroids and their biosynthetic pathways in neurodegenerative and neuroinflammation- related disorders, working on post-mortem human brains.

This editorial outlines Dr. Luchetti's wide range of interests, discloses her superior fund of knowledge, and recollects her humanitarian spirit, all of which contribute to creating a great sense of belonging to any group of researchers whom she worked with. The impact of Dr. Luchetti's work will continue to be felt for many years.

From the bench to the bedside, her work has indirectly contributed to shedding light on the neurosteroids’ potential therapeutic effects, considering that neurosteroids and their analogues (some of which are over-the-counter) are now used to treat depression, epilepsy, and substance abuse disorders. Moreover, the potential therapeutic effects of allopregnanolone with respect to its capability to promote neuroregeneration and neuroprotection are a promising basis for future treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords: Neurosteroids, allopregnanolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, neuroinflammation, neurodegenerative diseases, over-the-counter products.

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