Local Estrogen Production

Tekmal, Rajeshwar Rao; Santen, Richard J.

doi:10.1007/978-1-59259-699-7_6

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The lactation-inhibiting properties of systemic oestrogens are well known (Agenäs et al ., 2019 and see online Supplementary File for earlier references) and the role that local oestrogen production might play in the mammary gland has been reviewed (Simpson, 2000). Mammary aromatase has received attention because of its possible role in breast cancer (Tekmal and Santen, 1999) and there is evidence of aromatase activity in mammary tumors, but also in healthy mammary glands of goats, cows, mice, primates and dogs (Peaker and Taylor, 1990 and see online Supplementary File for additional references). Whilst adipose tissue is quantitatively the major extragonadal site of oestrogen biosynthesis (Simpson, 2000) and as a result is a significant modulator of reproductive function (Norman and Clark, 1998), the relationship between adiposity, intramammary oestrogen biosynthesis and lactation has not been investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An endocrine hypothesis to explain obesity-related lactation insufficiency in breastfeeding mothers

Knight

2020

Journal of Dairy Research

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In this Research Reflection I shall develop and validate the hypothesis that lactation insufficiency in obese breastfeeding mothers has an endocrine explanation. I shall not present data, but I shall review pertinent literature to show that obesity is associated with a partial or sometimes complete failure to initiate and maintain lactation, and critically examine the belief that this is due to psychosocial factors, a failure of prolactin secretion or both. Since progesterone is inhibitory to lactogenesis and oestrogens are inhibitory to milk secretion, I shall then explore the possibility that these steroids are linked to lactation failure, through sequestration of progesterone and aromatization of oestrogen in mammary adipose tissue. I shall conclude by describing experimental approaches in animal models that could be used to test this hypothesis.

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