Compared to other organs, the brain is especially exposed to oxidative stress. In general, brains from young females tend to present lower oxidative damage in comparison to their male counterparts. This has been attributed to higher antioxidant defenses and a better mitochondrial function in females, which has been linked to neuroprotection in this group. However, these differences usually disappear with aging, and the incidence of brain pathologies increases in aged females. Sexual hormones, which suffer a decrease with normal aging, have been proposed as the key factors involved in these gender differences. Here, we provide an overview of redox status and mitochondrial function regulation by sexual hormones and their influence in normal brain aging. Furthermore, we discuss how sexual hormones, as well as phytoestrogens, may play an important role in the development and progression of several brain pathologies, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, stroke or brain cancer.

与其他器官相比，大脑尤其容易受到氧化应激的影响。一般来说，与男性相比，年轻女性的大脑往往呈现出较低的氧化损伤。这归因于女性更高的抗氧化防御和更好的线粒体功能，这与该组的神经保护有关。然而，这些差异通常会随着年龄的增长而消失，并且老年女性脑部病变的发生率会增加。性激素随着正常衰老而减少，被认为是这些性别差异的关键因素。在这里，我们概述了性激素对氧化还原状态和线粒体功能的调节及其对正常大脑衰老的影响。此外，我们还讨论了性激素和植物雌激素如何