Estradiol (E2 or 17β-estradiol) (also oestradiol) is a sex hormone. Estradiol is the predominant sex hormone present in females; however, it is present in males, albeit at lower levels, as well. It represents the major estrogen in humans. Estradiol has not only a critical impact on reproductive and sexual functioning, but also affects other organs including the bones.
Estradiol, like other steroids, is derived from cholesterol. After side chain c...
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Estradiol (E2 or 17β-estradiol) (also oestradiol) is a sex hormone. Estradiol is the predominant sex hormone present in females; however, it is present in males, albeit at lower levels, as well. It represents the major estrogen in humans. Estradiol has not only a critical impact on reproductive and sexual functioning, but also affects other organs including the bones.
Estradiol, like other steroids, is derived from cholesterol. After side chain cleavage and utilizing the delta-5 pathway or the delta-4 pathway, androstenedione is the key intermediary. A fraction of the androstenedione is converted to testosterone, which in turn undergoes conversion to estradiol by an enzyme called aromatase. In an alternative pathway, androstenedione is "aromatized" to estrone, which is subsequently converted to estradiol.
During the reproductive years, most estradiol in women is produced by the granulosa cells of the ovaries by the aromatization of androstenedione (produced in the theca folliculi...
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