Fig. 3
Estrogen receptor β activation modulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) and 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A (5-HT2A) pathways in apolipoprotein E2 isoform (ApoE2) and ApoE3 brains but not in ApoE4 brains. Three-month-old human ApoE2, ApoE3, and ApoE4 gene-targeted replacement female mice were treated with a phytoestrogenic estrogen receptor β-selective modulator (phyto-β-SERM)-supplemented diet or control diet for 3 months and killed at the age of 6 months. Cortical tissues were probed for (a) BDNF/TrkB and (b) 5-HT2A immunoreactivity. The integrated density value of the bands in Western blots was determined using densitometry, and data were normalized to an internal loading control (β-tubulin) and to the untreated group of each genotype. Data are shown as mean ± SD (n = 5). *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 by Student’s t test