Abstract
The crucial role of estrogen (E) in the normal growth and development of the skeleton in girls has been known for decades. Recent studies in a man with estrogen receptor (ER) deficiency has underscored an equally important role for E in boys. Similarly the role of declining ovarian E production in bone loss in women has been well documented since the initial hypothesis of Albright in the 1940’s (1). Important studies in the last several years have provided insight into possible mechanisms underlying these clinical observations, particularly the role of E in modulating local cytokine production in skeletal tissues. The finding of ER-β as the dominant ER in bone (2) answers many questions regarding the previously documented low ER density in this clearly E-dependent tissue.
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Kleerekoper, M. (2001). Estrogen and the Skeleton. In: Li, J.J., Li, S.A., Daling, J.R. (eds) Hormonal Carcinogenesis III. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2092-3_35
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2092-3_35
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