They control female secondary sexual characteristics, and prepare and maintain the uterine lining. Estrogen affects the growth, differentiation, and function of peripheral tissues of the reproductive system, including the mammary gland, uterus, vagina, and ovary.
Estrogens also play an important role in bone maintenance and exert cardioprotective effects.
Estrogens are essential for the normal development of bone tissue in the male, in addition to their well-known role in female bone. The authors suggest the challenge is to use this knowledge for the development of the next generation of drugs targeted to the estrogen receptor. Refers to a group of hormones capable of promoting growth and function of the gonads. An elongated structure connected to the surface of the testis, it stores and matures sperm cells. The second estrogen receptor was first cloned in 1995.