Molecular mechanisms of sex hormones in the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease

•Sexual hormones and their metabolites can play an essential role in the survival of nerves.•Sexual steroid hormones exert effects in learning by inducing mitosis of the nerve cells.•In adults, sexual steroid hormones have a broad range of neuroprotective effects. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a form of brain disorder characterized by various pathological changes in the brain. Numerous studies have shown that sex hormones are involved in the disease. For instance, progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone are well-known steroid sex hormones that play an essential role in AD pathogenesis. The Gender-dependency of AD is attributed to the effect of these hormones on the brain, which plays a neuroprotective role. In recent years, much research has been performed on the protective role of these hormones against nerve cell damage, which are promising for AD management. Hence, in the current review, we aim to decipher the protective role of steroid hormones in AD. Accordingly, we will discuss their functional mechanisms at the genomic and non-genomic scales.