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Article: Estrogen
- Article from:
- Chemistry: Foundations and Applications
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Estrogen
Estrogen is not one hormone, it is the name used to denote either of two steroid hormones. These hormones are noted for their role in the development of the secondary sexual characteristics of females. In mammals the most abundant (and most potent) estrogen is estradiol (a
dialcohol
: note the "-diol" suffix), followed by estrone (a
ketone
: note the -
one
suffix). As is true for the other steroid hormones, the major
biosynthetic
pathway for estrogen begins with cholesterol (C
27
). The figure shows the major metabolic
intermediates
in the usual
synthesis
of estrogen, starting with cholesterol, proceeding to pregnenolone (C
21
), an
androgen
(C
19
), and then estrogen (C
18
...