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To study acute tolerance, rats were anesthetized with interrupted i.v. allopregnanolone infusions where the "silent second" in the electroencephalogram (EEG) was the target. Animals were killed either directly at the first silent second or at the silent second level after 30 or 90 min of anaesthesia. Acute tolerance was demonstrated at 90 min of anaesthesia as earlier shown. In situ hybridization showed a decreased expression of the gamma-aminobutyric acid(A) (GABA(A)) receptor subunit alpha4mRNA amount in the thalamus ventral-posteriomedial nucleus of the tolerant rats. A parallel change in the abundance of the alpha4 subunit was detected with immunohistochemistry. The increase in maintenance dose rate (MDR) was significantly negatively correlated with the alpha4mRNA in the thalamus ventral-posteriomedial nucleus, and positively correlated with alpha2mRNA in different hippocampal subregions. There was also a positive relationship between the alpha1mRNA amounts in the different hippocampal subregions, with significant differences between groups. These changes in GABA(A) receptor subunits mRNA expression and protein (alpha4) might be of importance for the development of acute tolerance to allopregnanolone.

The progesterone metabolite allopregnanolone (3alpha-OH-5alpha-pregnane-20-one) inhibits neural functions, enhancing the GABA induced GABA(A) receptor activation. This effect is benzodiazepine like and benzodiazepines are known to impair memory. Acute effects of allopregnanolone on the hippocampus dependent spatial learning in the Morris water maze have not been studied. Adult male Wistar rats where injected (i.v.) with allopregnanolone (2 mg/kg), or vehicle, daily for 11 days. At 8 or 20 min after each injection, studies of place navigation were performed in the Morris water maze. Allopregnanolone concentrations in plasma and in nine different brain areas where analyzed by radioimmunoassay. The latency to find the platform was increased 8 min after the allopregnanolone injection, while normal learning was seen after 20 min. Swim speed did not differ between groups. A higher number of rats were swimming close to the pool wall (thigmotaxis) in the 8 min allopregnanolone group compared to the other groups. Allopregnanolone concentrations in the brain tissue at 8 min were 1.5 to 2.5 times higher then at 20 min after the allopregnanolone injections. After vehicle injections the brain concentrations of allopregnanolone were at control levels. Plasma concentrations of allopregnanolone followed the same pattern as in the brain, with the exception of an increase 8 min after vehicle injections. The natural progesterone metabolite allopregnanolone can inhibit learning in the Morris water maze, an effect not caused by motor impairment. The learning impairment might be due to a combination of changed swimming behavior and difficulties in navigation.

 Allopregnanolone is a progesterone metabolite that can negatively affect learning and induce anaesthesia in rats. It also impairs episodic memory in women. Allopregnanolone levels are elevated during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy, and during stress. Allopregnanolone is a strong positive modulator of the GABAA receptor. The subunit composition of the GABAA receptor is of importance for effects of modulators, and GABAA receptors including the α5-subunit are of significance for learning, while receptors with other subunits are involved in e.g. anesthesia. Isoallopregnanolone, a natural 3β-epimer of allopregnanolone, has been shown to antagonize allopregnanolone-induced anesthesia in rats.

We tried to block the allopregnanolone-induced impairment of learning in rats in the Morris water maze test, using isoallopregnanolone (4–32 mg/kg). We also determined steroid concentrations in blood and brain tissue, and with whole-cell patch clamp we studied the effects of isoallopregnanolone and tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone (a neurosteroid similar to allopregnanolone) on HEK-293 cells expressing the human α5β2γ2L GABAA receptor.

Isoallopregnanolone did not block the negative effects of allopregnanolone (2 mg/kg) in the Morris water maze test. Our presumed antagonist actually had an agonistic effect on the tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone-mediated potentiation of the GABA effect on the α5β2γ2L GABAA receptor. The baseline shift induced by tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone alone was not reversed by isoallopregnanolone. A bidirectional epimerisation between allopregnanolone and isoallopregnanolone was also identified in the rat.

The lack of antagonistic effect at the α5β2γ2L GABAA receptor together with the epimerisation of isoallopregnanolone to allopregnanolone would probably explain the lack of effect of our proposed antagonist on the allopregnanolone-induced impairment of learning 

Metabolism of progesterone produces steroids that by themselves have other functional properties than the hormone. The most prominent metabolite, allopregnanolone (3α-OH-5α-pregnane-20-one), has a strong GABAA receptor agonistic activity. Isoallopregnanolone (3β-OH-5α-pregnane-20-one) is also formed from progesterone; this allopregnanolone epimer can in certain situations function as an antagonist to effects induced by allopregnanolone.

This study was designed to further evaluate the metabolism of allopregnanolone and isoallopregnanolone in the rat. This was done by intravenous injections of either steroid and analyses of selected possible metabolites within the brain as well as in plasma, eight minutes after the injection. Analyses were performed with GC-MS.

It was found that the main metabolites accumulated after the allopregnanolone treatment was the precursor 5α-dihydroprogesterone, followed by isoallopregnanolone. The injected allopregnanolone, as well as the two major metabolites formed, were mainly present in the brain. When isoallopregnanolone was injected, the main metabolites formed were allopregnanolone and 6α-hydroxylated isoallopregnanolone, followed by the precursor 5α-dihydroprogesterone. Interestingly, the metabolites formed after isoallopregnanolone injections were more evenly distributed between the analyzed brain areas and the plasma. After both treatments a high proportion of conjugation (typically around 50%), was in plasma found for both the injected and the produced steroids.

With the high amounts of metabolites found in the brain, there might be a high converting capacity within the brain for these kinds of steroids. This suggests that interchange between the studied epimers is of physiological nature. One may then speculate that the brain uses the conversion between allopregnanolone and isoallopregnanolone to regulate the GABAergic inhibition. If this is the case, a dysregulation of this metabolism might cause symptoms and/or CNS disorders.