Hormones as growth promoters: the precautionary principle or a political risk assessment? 149 14. Hormones as growth promoters: the precautionary principle or a political risk assessment?
نویسنده
چکیده
Oestrogenic steroid hormones (‘oestrogens’) have a crucial role in cellular regulation in all vertebrate species. The levels required to bring about such changes are very low, around 0.1–1 pg/ml (picograms per millilitre) of serum. It has been known for over five decades that oestrogens affect the development of the male reproductive system of mammals (Zuckerman, 1940). Nonetheless, oestrogenic steroid hormones are often called ‘female hormones’. The female reproductive system initially develops independently of the hormone regulatory system. This means that by default an animal is female if hormone stimulation is absent (Wilson and Lasnitzki, 1971). Nonetheless, in both sexes oestrogens are needed for fertility.
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