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Estrogen

This article is about estrogens as hormones. For their use as medications, see Estrogen (medication).

Estrogen
Drug class
Estradiol, the major estrogen sex hormone in humans and a widely used medication
Class identifiers
UseContraception, menopause, hypogonadism, transgender women, prostate cancer, breast cancer, others
ATC codeG03C
Biological targetEstrogen receptors (ERα, ERβ, mERs (e.g., GPER, others))
External links
MeSHD004967
Legal status
In Wikidata

Estrogen (also spelled oestrogen in British English; see spelling differences) is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics.[1][2] There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal activity: estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3).[1][3] Estradiol, an estrane, is the most potent and prevalent.[1] Another estrogen called estetrol (E4) is produced only during pregnancy.

Estrogens are synthesized in all vertebrates[4] and some insects.[5] Quantitatively, estrogens circulate at lower levels than androgens in both men and women.[6] While estrogen levels are significantly lower in males than in females, estrogens nevertheless have important physiological roles in males.[7]

Like all steroid hormones, estrogens readily diffuse across the cell membrane. Once inside the cell, they bind to and activate estrogen receptors (ERs) which in turn modulate the expression of many genes.[8] Additionally, estrogens bind to and activate rapid-signaling membrane estrogen receptors (mERs),[9][10] such as GPER (GPR30).[11]

In addition to their role as natural hormones, estrogens are used as medications, for instance in menopausal hormone therapy, hormonal birth control and feminizing hormone therapy for transgender women, intersex people, and nonbinary people.

Synthetic and natural estrogens have been found in the environment and are referred to as xenoestrogens. Estrogens are among the wide range of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) and can cause health issues and reproductive disfunction in both wildlife and humans.[12][13]

  1. ^ a b c Huether SE, McCance KL (2019). Understanding Pathophysiology. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 767. ISBN 978-0-32-367281-8. Estrogen is a generic term for any of three similar hormones derived from cholesterol: estradiol, estrone, and estriol.
  2. ^ Satoskar RS, Rege N, Bhandarkar SD (2017). Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 943. ISBN 978-8-13-124941-3. The natural estrogens are steroids. However, typical estrogenic activity is also shown by chemicals which are not steroids. Hence, the term 'estrogen' is used as a generic term to describe all the compounds having estrogenic activity.
  3. ^ Delgado BJ, Lopez-Ojeda W (20 December 2021). "Estrogen". StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. PMID 30855848. Estrogen is a steroid hormone associated with the female reproductive organs and is responsible for the development of female sexual characteristics. Estrogen is often referred to as estrone, estradiol, and estriol. ... Synthetic estrogen is also available for clinical use, designed to increase absorption and effectiveness by altering the estrogen chemical structure for topical or oral administration. Synthetic steroid estrogens include ethinyl estradiol, estradiol valerate, estropipate, conjugate esterified estrogen, and quinestrol.
  4. ^ Ryan KJ (August 1982). "Biochemistry of aromatase: significance to female reproductive physiology". Cancer Research. 42 (8 Suppl): 3342s–3344s. PMID 7083198.
  5. ^ Mechoulam R, Brueggemeier RW, Denlinger DL (September 2005). "Estrogens in insects". Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 40 (9): 942–944. doi:10.1007/BF01946450. S2CID 31950471.
  6. ^ Burger HG (April 2002). "Androgen production in women". Fertility and Sterility. 77 (Suppl 4): S3–S5. doi:10.1016/S0015-0282(02)02985-0. PMID 12007895.
  7. ^ Lombardi G, Zarrilli S, Colao A, Paesano L, Di Somma C, Rossi F, et al. (June 2001). "Estrogens and health in males". Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. 178 (1–2): 51–55. doi:10.1016/S0303-7207(01)00420-8. PMID 11403894. S2CID 36834775.
  8. ^ Whitehead SA, Nussey S (2001). Endocrinology: an integrated approach. Oxford: BIOS: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-85996-252-7. PMID 20821847.
  9. ^ Soltysik K, Czekaj P (April 2013). "Membrane estrogen receptors - is it an alternative way of estrogen action?". Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. 64 (2): 129–142. PMID 23756388.
  10. ^ Micevych PE, Kelly MJ (2012). "Membrane estrogen receptor regulation of hypothalamic function". Neuroendocrinology. 96 (2): 103–110. doi:10.1159/000338400. PMC 3496782. PMID 22538318.
  11. ^ Prossnitz ER, Arterburn JB, Sklar LA (February 2007). "GPR30: A G protein-coupled receptor for estrogen". Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. 265–266: 138–142. doi:10.1016/j.mce.2006.12.010. PMC 1847610. PMID 17222505.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wang_2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Korach KD (1998). Reproductive and developmental toxicology. New York: Marcel Dekker. ISBN 0-585-15807-X. OCLC 44957536.

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