Anonymous
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Search
Editing
Progesterone
(section)
From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history
Namespaces
Page
Discussion
More
More
Page actions
Read
Edit
Edit source
History
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
==Progesterone & Estrogen: A Balancing Act == One of the reasons it is difficult to measure the effects of progesterone and estrogen is that these two primary female sex hormones work in concert with each other, and it is therefore often the case that their ''ratio'' is more important than their independent levels. Many of the functions of estrogens are countered by progesterone including tissue growth, inflammation, immune function, and uterine muscle contraction. When progesterone does not exist in sufficient levels in the body, it results in "estrogen dominance," which can lead to breast cancer, endometriosis, and other pathologies.<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Clemons | first = Mark | last2 = Goss | first2 = Paul | date = 2001-01-25| title = Estrogen and the Risk of Breast Cancer |url =https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM200101253440407|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|volume=344|issue=4|pages=276–285|doi=10.1056/NEJM200101253440407|issn=0028-4793|pmid=11172156}}</ref><ref name="H2014">{{Cite journal| title = Homeostasis Imbalance in the Endometrium of Women with Implantation Defects: The Role of Estrogen and Progesterone | date = Sep 2014|url=http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0034-1376355|journal=Seminars in Reproductive Medicine|volume=32|issue=05|pages=365–375 | last = Lessey | first = Bruce A. | author-link = | last2 = Young | first2 = Steven L. | authorlink2 = |language=en|doi=10.1055/s-0034-1376355|pmc=|pmid=|access-date=|issn=1526-8004|quote=|via=}}</ref> It is in establishing the correct levels of ''both'' estrogens and progesterone that a healthy homeostasis is achieved and the pathogenesis of endometriosis, infertility, cancer, and more can be diminished. {| class="wikitable" |+Estrogen's Functions & Progesterone's Counter-Functions |'''Estrogen''' |'''Progesterone''' |- |Stimulates tissue growth |Stops tissue growth, promotes cell death |- |Stimulates contraction of uterine muscles |Decreases uterine muscle contractions, promotes uterine muscle relaxation |- |Promotes edema (fluid-retention) |Decreases edema |- |Most often promotes inflammation |Most often anti-inflammatory, suppresses pro-inflammatory [[cytokines]] |- |Promotes immune activation (influx of neutrophils and activation of macrophages) |Immunosuppressant, promotes immunotolerance |} === Inflammation === Although estrogen has some anti-inflammatory effects, it most often functions as a pro-inflammatory hormone. Progesterone, on the other hand, which often down-regulates estrogen-mediated actions, functions as a powerful anti-inflammatory steroid. Both are critical in maintaining a normal menstrual cycle and healthy pregnancies. Estrogen's inflammatory effects in the absence of progesterone's anti-inflammatory actions are necessary for stimulating the shedding of the uterine wall in menstruation, and some scientists even describe menstruation itself as an "acute inflammatory response of ESCs [endometrial stromal cells] to progesterone withdrawal."<ref name="H2014" /> Progesterone's anti-inflammatory effect has also been found to aid in recovery from traumatic brain injury in rats, fight gingivitis in monkeys, and decrease signs of autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice.<ref name="He2004">{{Cite journal | last = He | first = Jun | last2 = Evans | first2 = Chheng-Orn | last3 = Hoffman | first3 = Stuart W. | last4 = Oyesiku | first4 = Nelson M. | last5 = Stein | first5 = Donald G. | date = 2004-10-01| title = Progesterone and allopregnanolone reduce inflammatory cytokines after traumatic brain injury|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014488604002390|journal=Experimental Neurology|volume=189|issue=2 | pages = 404–412|doi=10.1016/j.expneurol.2004.06.008|issn=0014-4886}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last = Deasy | first = M. J. | last2 = Grota | first2 = L.J. | last3 = Kennedy | first3 = J.E. | date = 1972| title = The effect of estrogen progesterone and cortisol on gingival inflammation|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-0765.1972.tb00636.x|journal=Journal of Periodontal Research|language=en|volume=7|issue=2|pages=111–124|doi=10.1111/j.1600-0765.1972.tb00636.x|issn=1600-0765}}</ref><ref name="Nicola2013">{{Cite journal | last = Nicola | first=A. F. | last2 = De Deniselle | first2 = M. C. Gonzalez | last3 = Garay | first3 = L. | last4 = Meyer | first4 = M. | last5 = Gargiulo‐Monachelli | first5 = G. | last6 = Guennoun | first6 = R. | last7 = Schumacher | first7 = M. | last8 = Carreras | first8 = M.C. | last9 = Poderoso | first9 = J.J. | date = 2013 | title = Progesterone Protective Effects in Neurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jne.12043|journal=Journal of Neuroendocrinology|language=en|volume=25|issue=11|pages=1095–1103|doi=10.1111/jne.12043|issn=1365-2826}}</ref> It is known to suppress pro-inflammatory [[cytokines]],<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Munoz-Suano | first = Alba | last2 = Hamilton | first2 = Alexander B. | last3 = Betz | first3 = Alexander G. | date = 2011-04-13| title = Gimme shelter: the immune system during pregnancy|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-065x.2011.01002.x|journal=Immunological Reviews|volume=241|issue=1|pages=20–38|doi=10.1111/j.1600-065x.2011.01002.x|issn=0105-2896}}</ref> such as the inhibition of [[interleukin 6|IL-6]] and [[interleukin 8|IL-8]] in the inflammatory response to [[lipopolysaccharides]] in human uterine cervical fibroblasts.<ref>{{Cite journal| title = Anti-inflammatory effect of proteoglycan and progesterone on human uterine cervical fibroblasts | date = 2012-04-09|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320512000136|journal=Life Sciences|volume=90|issue=13 | pages = 484–488 | last = Fukuyama | first=Asami | last2 = Tanaka | first2 = Kanji | last3 = Kakizaki | first3 = Ikuko | last4 = Kasai | first4 = Kosuke | last5 = Chiba | first5 = Mitsuru | last6 = Nakamura | first6 = Toshiya | last7 = Mizunuma | first7 = Hideki|language=en|doi=10.1016/j.lfs.2011.12.024|issn=0024-3205}}</ref> It is unknown whether progesterone functions independently as an anti-inflammatory, or whether it must work in concert in estrogen to have this effect. ====Progesterone Resistance & Inflammation in Endometriosis ==== [[Endometriosis]] is a condition in which tissue grows not only on the internal walls of the uterus, but also on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and external uterine walls, resulting in pain and sometimes infertility. Research suggests that the etiology of endometriosis centers around a disruption of estrogen-progesterone homeostasis in the uterus, caused by "progesterone resistance," which leads to increased inflammation.<ref name="H2014" /> This progesterone resistance may lead to increased production of estrogen and pro-inflammatory [[cytokine]] presence including IL-1β, TNF-α, LIF, IL-6, IL-8, IL-11, NF-kB, p53, and STAT3. While these [[cytokines]] aid in embryonic implantation, levels that are too high or last too long can lead to aberrant outcomes like endometriosis. Through studying the effects of progesterone on endometriosis and other conditions related to estrogen-dominance, many researchers are optimistic about the development of future treatments.<ref name="H2014" /> ==== Understanding the Effects of Progesterone and Estrogens ==== Deciphering the roles of progesterone and estrogen is extremely difficult because both can have a wide range of effects. Both hormones can have pro- ''and'' anti-inflammatory functions, depending on the physiological circumstances. Both can also lead to one outcome at low levels and the opposite outcome at high levels (see negative/positive feedback in "[[#Role_in_the_Menstrual_Cycle|Role in the Menstrual Cycle]]" above). Progesterone and estrogen act on cells by binding to specific receptors. Progesterone binds to two main receptors: PR-A and PR-B. When binding to the latter, progesterone decreases inflammation and increases responsiveness to estrogen, while binding to the former has the inverse effect.
Summary:
Please make sure your edits are consistent with
MEpedia's guidelines
.
By saving changes, you agree to the
Terms of use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 3.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
This page is a member of 5 hidden categories:
Category:All articles needing cleanup from 2019
Category:All articles with unsourced statements
Category:Articles needing cleanup from 2019
Category:Articles with unsourced statements from 2021
Category:Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from 2019
Navigation
Navigation
Skip to content
Main page
Browse
Become an editor
Random page
Popular pages
Abbreviations
Glossary
About MEpedia
Links for editors
Contents
Guidelines
Recent changes
Pages in need
Search
Help
Wiki tools
Wiki tools
Special pages
Page tools
Page tools
User page tools
More
What links here
Related changes
Page information
Page logs