The biology and physiology of the male as well as female reproductive system is hormonally regulated. Abnormalities in the dynamics of hormone production, metabolism and elimination, as well as their binding to certain target tissues, has been associated with pathophysiological conditions of the reproductive system. Although oestrogens are known to be one of the major hormone groups in regulati...

The androgen receptor (AR) plays a critical role in prostate cancer development and progression. This study aimed to use a computerized docking approach to examine the interactions between the human AR and phyto-oestrogens (genistein, daidzein, and flavone) and xeno-oestrogens (bisphenol A, 4-nonylphenol, dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane [DDT], diethylstilbestrol [DES]). The predicted three-dim...

In the Brown (Brown, 1955; Brown, Bulbrook & Greenwood, 1957) procedure for the determination of urinary oestrogens, losses may occur during the hydrolysis of the oestrogen conjugates and during the purification of the oestrogens thus formed. Losses during the latter stages were measured previously by adding free oestrogens to the hydrolysed urine. In the present study losses during acid and en...

Fotemustine (Fote) is a new amino acid-linked chloroethyl nitrosourea which has been shown to be useful in disseminated malignant melanoma. The aim of the present study was to analyse the cytotoxic effects resulting from the combination of anti-oestrogens and Fote on human melanoma cell lines. The anti-oestrogens tested were tamoxifen (TMX, 5 x 10(-7) mol/l and 5 x 10(-6) mol/l) and 4OH TMX (5 ...

In bovine oviduct cells 17beta-oestradiol can induce the synthesis of leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a glycoprotein essential for embryo implantation. Therefore substances which are structurally similar to 17beta-oestradiol and possess oestrogenic activity may also modulate LIF synthesis and influence the reproductive process. We used primary cultures of bovine and human oviduct cells (epit...

Numerous studies have suggested that sex hormones, especially oestrogens, can contribute to the onset and development of the disease activities of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and this seems to be associated with the gender bias of SLE. In fact, there is significant evidence of the inductive effects of oestrogens on autoimmune-related immune responses, such as the production of antibodie...

Introduction Oestrogens are able to regulate gene expression by binding to specific receptors that function as transcription factors [ 1-31. Hormone binding is required initially for the dissociation of an inactive, oligomeric, receptor complex to allow receptor dimerization and high-affinity DNA binding [4, 51 and, secondly, to produce the full transcriptional activity of the receptor [6-91. I...

The environmental and food contaminants, including therapeutic agents (e.g, antibiotics, antihypertensive drugs, etc.) and oestrogenic endocrine disruptors (xenoestrogens or xenobiotic chemicals), which mediate the oestrogens may lead to the development of cancer. Oestrogens and their metabolites are involved in the cancer pathogenesis of breast, uterus, ovary, pituitary gland, testicle, liver,...

Progesterone, total oestrogens (mainly conjugated and unconjugated oestrone), prolactin and placental lactogen have been determined during late pregnancy in the peripheral plasma of intact or hypophysectomized ewes after destruction of the foetal pituitary. During the prolongation of gestation due to the removal of the foetal hypophysis, progesterone and placental lactogen remained at a high le...