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Santen RJ, Simpson E. History of Estrogen: Its Purification, Structure, Synthesis, Biologic Actions, and Clinical Implications. Endocrinology 2019; 160:605-625. [PMID: 30566601 DOI: 10.1210/en.2018-00529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
This mini-review summarizes key points from the Clark Sawin Memorial Lecture on the History of Estrogen delivered at Endo 2018 and focuses on the rationales and motivation leading to various discoveries and their clinical applications. During the classical period of antiquity, incisive clinical observations uncovered important findings; however, extensive anatomical dissections to solidify proof were generally lacking. Initiation of the experimental approach followed later, influenced by Claude Bernard's treatise "An Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine." With this approach, investigators began to explore the function of the ovaries and their "internal secretions" and, after intensive investigations for several years, purified various estrogens. Clinical therapies for hot flashes, osteoporosis, and dysmenorrhea were quickly developed and, later, methods of hormonal contraception. Sophisticated biochemical methods revealed the mechanisms of estrogen synthesis through the enzyme aromatase and, after discovery of the estrogen receptors, their specific biologic actions. Molecular techniques facilitated understanding of the specific transcriptional and translational events requiring estrogen. This body of knowledge led to methods to prevent and treat hormone-dependent neoplasms as well as a variety of other estrogen-related conditions. More recently, the role of estrogen in men was uncovered by prismatic examples of estrogen deficiency in male patients and by knockout of the estrogen receptor and aromatase in animals. As studies became more extensive, the effects of estrogen on nearly every organ were described. We conclude that the history of estrogen illustrates the role of intellectual reasoning, motivation, and serendipity in advancing knowledge about this important sex steroid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Santen
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Evan Simpson
- Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Reproductive Health, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Thibeault AAH, Sanderson JT, Vaillancourt C. Co-culture of H295R Adrenocortical Carcinoma and BeWo Choriocarcinoma Cells to Study Feto-placental Interactions: Focus on Estrogen Biosynthesis. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1710:295-304. [PMID: 29197012 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7498-6_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Estrogens are produced in large amounts during pregnancy, as a result of a tightly regulated cooperation between the maternal and fetal adrenal cortex, which produce androgen precursors, and the placental villous trophoblast, which transforms these precursors into estrogens. These estrogens play an important role in proper placental function, in adaptation of the mother to pregnancy, as well as in adequate fetal development. Disruption of estrogen production is associated with poor pregnancy outcomes and fetal malformation or altered fetal programming. Pregnant women may be exposed to endocrine disruptors from environmental sources or medications, and it is crucial to study the effects of such compounds on feto-placental steroidogenesis. The H295R/BeWo co-culture model offers the opportunity to study these interactions, by making it possible to evaluate the effects of chemical exposures on androgen and estrogen biosynthesis, as well as on various other aspects of feto-placental communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrée-Anne Hudon Thibeault
- INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier, 531, Boulevard des Prairies, Laval, QC, Canada, H7V 1B7.,BioMed Research Centre, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3C 3P8.,Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Well-Being, Health, Society and Environment (CINBIOSE), Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3C 3P8
| | - J Thomas Sanderson
- INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier, 531, Boulevard des Prairies, Laval, QC, Canada, H7V 1B7.
| | - Cathy Vaillancourt
- INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier, 531, Boulevard des Prairies, Laval, QC, Canada, H7V 1B7. .,BioMed Research Centre, Laval, QC, Canada. .,Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Well-Being, Health, Society and Environment (CINBIOSE), Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3C 3P8.
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Babischkin JS, Aberdeen GW, Pepe GJ, Albrecht ED. Estrogen Suppresses Interaction of Melanocortin 2 Receptor and Its Accessory Protein in the Primate Fetal Adrenal Cortex. Endocrinology 2016; 157:4588-4601. [PMID: 27779913 PMCID: PMC5133357 DOI: 10.1210/en.2016-1562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
We have shown that fetal adrenal fetal zone (FZ) volume and serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHAS) levels were increased, whereas definitive and transitional zone (DZ/TZ) volume was unaltered, in baboons in which estrogen levels were suppressed by the administration of the aromatase inhibitor letrozole. The interaction of the melanocortin 2 receptor (MC2R) with its accessory protein (MRAP) is essential for trafficking MC2R to the adrenal cell surface for binding to ACTH. The present study determined whether the estrogen-dependent regulation of fetal adrenocortical development is mediated by ACTH and/or expression/interaction of MC2R and MRAP. Fetal pituitary proopiomelanocortin mRNA and plasma ACTH levels and fetal adrenal MC2R-MRAP interaction were assessed in baboons in which estrogen was suppressed/restored by letrozole/letrozole plus estradiol administration during the second half of gestation. Although fetal pituitary proopiomelanocortin and plasma ACTH levels and fetal adrenal MC2R and MRAP protein levels were unaltered, MC2R-MRAP interaction was 2-fold greater (P < .05) in the DZ/TZ in letrozole-treated baboons than in untreated animals and restored by letrozole plus estradiol treatment. We propose that the increasing levels of estradiol with advancing pregnancy suppress interaction of MC2R with MRAP, thereby diminishing MC2R movement to the cell membrane in the DZ/TZ. This would be expected to reduce progenitor cell proliferation in the DZ and migration to the FZ, thereby restraining FZ growth and DHAS production to maintain fetal adrenal DHAS and placental estradiol levels in a physiological range late in gestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffery S Babischkin
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (J.S.B., G.W.A., E.D.A.), Center for Studies in Reproduction, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201; and Department of Physiological Sciences (G.J.P.), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23501
| | - Graham W Aberdeen
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (J.S.B., G.W.A., E.D.A.), Center for Studies in Reproduction, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201; and Department of Physiological Sciences (G.J.P.), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23501
| | - Gerald J Pepe
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (J.S.B., G.W.A., E.D.A.), Center for Studies in Reproduction, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201; and Department of Physiological Sciences (G.J.P.), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23501
| | - Eugene D Albrecht
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (J.S.B., G.W.A., E.D.A.), Center for Studies in Reproduction, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201; and Department of Physiological Sciences (G.J.P.), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23501
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Pepe GJ, Maniu A, Aberdeen G, Lynch TJ, Albrecht ED. Estrogen Regulation of Fetal Adrenal Cortical Zone-Specific Development in the Nonhuman Primate Impacts Adrenal Production of Androgen and Cortisol and Response to ACTH in Females in Adulthood. Endocrinology 2016; 157:1905-13. [PMID: 26990066 PMCID: PMC4870886 DOI: 10.1210/en.2015-2087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
We showed that the volume of the fetal zone of the fetal adrenal gland and serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHAS) levels at term were increased in baboons in which estradiol levels were suppressed by treatment with aromatase inhibitor 4,4-[1,2,3-triazol-1yl-methylene] bis-benzonitrite (letrozole). The fetal zone remodels postnatally into the reticular zone and DHAS production, and serum levels decline with age. Therefore, we determined whether the trajectory of reticular zone DHAS secretion and response to ACTH were altered in offspring deprived of estrogen in utero. Female offspring were delivered to baboons untreated or treated daily throughout the second half of gestation with letrozole (estradiol reduced >95%) or letrozole plus estradiol and cortisol and DHAS determined in blood samples obtained bimonthly between 4 and 125 months and after iv bolus of ACTH. The slope/rate of decline in serum DHAS with advancing age was greater (P < .01) in letrozole-treated (-0.54 ± 0.005) than untreated (-0.32 ± 0.003) baboons and partially restored by letrozole-estradiol (-0.43 ± 0.004). Serum cortisol was similar and relatively constant in all offspring. Moreover, in letrozole-treated offspring, serum DHAS at 61-66, 67-95, and 96-125 months were lower (P < .05), and cortisol to DHAS ratio was greater (P < .05) than in untreated offspring. ACTH at high level increased cortisol and DHAS in untreated baboons and cortisol but not DHAS in letrozole-treated offspring. We propose that postnatal development of the primate adrenal cortex, including the decline in reticular zone DHAS production, response to ACTH and maintenance of cortisol to DHAS ratio with advancing age is modulated by exposure of the fetal adrenal to estradiol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald J Pepe
- Departments of Physiological Sciences (G.J.P., T.J.L.) and Obstetrics and Gynecology (A.M.), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23501; and Departments of Obstetrics/Gynecology/Reproductive Sciences and Physiology (G.A., E.D.A.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Adina Maniu
- Departments of Physiological Sciences (G.J.P., T.J.L.) and Obstetrics and Gynecology (A.M.), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23501; and Departments of Obstetrics/Gynecology/Reproductive Sciences and Physiology (G.A., E.D.A.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Graham Aberdeen
- Departments of Physiological Sciences (G.J.P., T.J.L.) and Obstetrics and Gynecology (A.M.), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23501; and Departments of Obstetrics/Gynecology/Reproductive Sciences and Physiology (G.A., E.D.A.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Terrie J Lynch
- Departments of Physiological Sciences (G.J.P., T.J.L.) and Obstetrics and Gynecology (A.M.), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23501; and Departments of Obstetrics/Gynecology/Reproductive Sciences and Physiology (G.A., E.D.A.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Eugene D Albrecht
- Departments of Physiological Sciences (G.J.P., T.J.L.) and Obstetrics and Gynecology (A.M.), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23501; and Departments of Obstetrics/Gynecology/Reproductive Sciences and Physiology (G.A., E.D.A.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
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