Estradiol rapidly rescues synaptic transmission from corticosterone-induced suppression via synaptic/extranuclear steroid receptors in the hippocampus.

We investigated rapid protection effect by estradiol on corticosterone (CORT)-induced suppression of synaptic transmission. Rapid suppression by 1 μM CORT of long-term potentiation (LTP) at CA3-CA1 synapses was abolished via coperfusion of 1 nM estradiol. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-derived field excitatory postsynaptic potential (NMDA-R-fEPSP) was used to analyze the mechanisms of these events. Estradiol abolished CORT-induced suppression of NMDA-R-fEPSP slope. This CORT-induced suppression was abolished by calcineurin inhibitor, and the rescue effect by estradiol on the CORT-induced suppression was inhibited by mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase inhibitor. The CORT-induced suppressions of LTP and NMDA-R-fEPSP slope were abolished by glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist, and the restorative effects by estradiol on these processes were mimicked by estrogen receptor α (ERα) and ERβ agonists. Taken together, estradiol rapidly rescued LTP and NMDA-R-fEPSP slope from CORT-induced suppressions. A GR→calcineurin pathway is involved in these suppressive effects. The rescue effects by estradiol are driven via ERα or ERβ→MAP kinase pathway. Synaptic/extranuclear GR, ERα, and ERβ probably participate in these rapid events. Mass-spectrometric analysis determined that acute hippocampal slices used for electrophysiological measurements contained 0.48 nM estradiol less than exogenously applied 1 nM. In vivo physiological level of 8 nM estradiol could protect the intact hippocampus against acute stress-induced neural suppression.