Antidepressants do not modulate estrogen receptor alpha-mediated gene expression

The estrogen receptor alpha has been shown to be activated both in a ligand -dependent and in a ligand independent fashion. We investigated whether ant idepressants may directly activate the estrogen receptor a or enhance ligan d-dependent or ligand-in dependent activation of the estrogen receptor ck. Whereas both ligand-dependent and ligand-independent activation of the estr ogen receptor alpha could be demonstrated in transient transfection studies , antidepressants neither directly activated the estrogen receptor alpha no r did they enhance ligand-dependent or ligand-independent activation. Thus, there are differences between the glucocorticoid receptor and the estrogen receptor alpha with regard to ligand-independent activation and action of antidepressants.