Mechanism of action of glucocorticosteroid hormones: possible implicationsfor therapy of neuroimmunological disorders

Glucocorticosteroids are the most potent immunosuppressive and antiinflamma tory drugs. Over the six decades that have passed since their discovery, a variety of genomic effector mechanisms of steroid hormones has been describ ed which are mediated by the cytosolic steroid receptor. Recent evidence su pports a direct effect of glucocorticosteroids on cellular membranes that o ccurs at higher hormone concentrations, termed nongenomic effects. These im ply a qualitatively distinct mode of steroid action leading to cellular apo ptosis. In this review, we discuss in vitro and in vivo data on nongenomic effects of glucocorticosteroids and their possible implications for the the rapy of human neuroimmunological diseases. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.