Kumar Anita, Banerjee Antara, Singh Dipty, Thakur Gargi, Kasarpalkar Nandini, Gavali Shubhangi, Gadkar Sushama, Madan Taruna, Mahale Smita D, Balasinor N H, Sachdeva Geetanjali
Neuroendocrinology Laboratory, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR-NIRRH), Mumbai, India.
Structural Biology Laboratory, ICMR-NIRRH, Mumbai, India.
Horm Metab Res. 2018 May;50(5):359-374. doi: 10.1055/s-0044-100920. Epub 2018 Mar 22.
Seventy-five glorious years have passed since estradiol was discovered by Edward Doisy. From discovery in the ovaries to delineation of diverse physiological effects, research on estrogens has covered a lot of ground. Estrogen receptors that mediate estrogenic effects, have been detected not only in reproductive organs, but also in other body organs. Estrogen receptors function either as conventional transcription factors or as rapid signal transducers. These different modes of action are opted by estrogens to elicit an array of reproductive and non-reproductive functions. It is well established that estrogens promote cell proliferation in various tissues and hence are also linked to carcinogenesis. Anti-estrogens are being used as adjunct therapies for cancers since several years. On the other hand, estrogen-based strategies are used to alleviate adverse effects of menopause. Apart from estrogens synthesized in various organs, exposure to environmental estrogens can also impact physiology. Thus, too much or too less of estrogens can tip the balance and lead to unfavorable consequences. Multiple estrogen receptors with their tissue- or cell type-specific expression eliciting dose-dependent effects make it perplexing to 'unify' estrogenic actions in diverse tissues/organs. This warrants more research on estrogen-mediated effects and their regulation in somatic and reproductive tissues. This review presents physiological and pathological aspects of estrogens thus highlighting the good, bad, and ugly facets of estrogens.
自爱德华·多伊西发现雌二醇以来，辉煌的75年已经过去。从在卵巢中发现到描绘出其多样的生理效应，对雌激素的研究已经涵盖了很多领域。介导雌激素效应的雌激素受体不仅在生殖器官中被检测到，在身体的其他器官中也有发现。雌激素受体既可以作为传统转录因子发挥作用，也可以作为快速信号转导器发挥作用。雌激素通过这些不同的作用方式引发一系列生殖和非生殖功能。众所周知，雌激素促进各种组织中的细胞增殖，因此也与致癌作用有关。多年来，抗雌激素一直被用作癌症的辅助治疗药物。另一方面，基于雌激素的策略被用于减轻更年期的不良反应。除了在各种器官中合成的雌激素外，接触环境雌激素也会影响生理功能。因此，雌激素过多或过少都可能打破平衡并导致不良后果。多种雌激素受体及其在组织或细胞类型中的特异性表达引发剂量依赖性效应，使得在不同组织/器官中“统一”雌激素作用变得令人困惑。这就需要对雌激素介导的效应及其在体细胞和生殖组织中的调节进行更多研究。本综述介绍了雌激素的生理和病理方面，从而突出了雌激素的好、坏和丑陋的方面。
