An article by Skorupskaite
et al1 in the journal
Neuroendocrinology reports on a novel effect of an antagonist of the brain hormone, neurokinin B, on post-menopausal hot flushes which affect 60-80% of women. Co-author
Professor Bob Millar, director of the Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Pretoria, and senior research fellow in the IDM, UCT, remarks “The main treatment for the debilitating condition of hot flushes is oestrogen replacement. But many women are worried about increasing the risk of breast cancer and stroke, and oestrogen can’t be taken by women who have had breast cancer. So this new treatment is a major breakthrough.” All women in the study reported a reduction in both the frequency and severity of hot flushes whilst taking the neurokinin B antagonist, and importantly, it also reduced the interference of flushes with daily activities. The response to the antagonist was also very rapid, with a significant fall in both night time and day time symptoms after only 2 days of treatment, whereas oestrogen generally takes several weeks to become effective.
1 Neurokinin 3 receptor antagonism reveals roles for neurokinin B in the regulation of gonadotropin secretion and hot flushes in postmenopausal women. Skorupskaite K, George JT, Veldhuis JD, Millar RP and Anderson RA. Neuroendocrinology (2017) DOI:10.1159/000473893.
