Serotonin estrogen

Dopamine Serotonin Estrogen Sleep Stress Exercise Pharmacologic Postprandial hyperglycemia Elevated free fatty acids Pharmacologic ... 

Alternatives to estrogen for hot flushes are shown in Table 31-6. Progesterone alone may be an option in women with a history of breast cancer or venous thrombosis, but side effects limit their use. For women with contraindications to hormone therapy, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and venlafaxine are considered by some to be first-line therapy, but efficacy of venlafaxine beyond 12 weeks has not been shown. 

Pan J-T, Wang PS (1989) Effect of transient dopamine antagonism on thyrotropin-releasing hormone-induced prolactin secretion in the serotonin-blocked, estrogen-treated ovariectomized rats. Neuroendocrinology 49 281-285. 

Some women suffer from mental deprc.ssion when taking estrogen-containing oral contraceptives, and this depression could be due to another malfunction in tryptophan metabolism, leading to S-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin). Some evidence indicates that the decarboxylation of S-hydroxytrypto-phan is inhibited (in vitro) by estfogen conjugates competing with pyridoxal phosphate for the decarboxylase apoenzyme. 

In animals, estrogen has been shown to influence the effect of antidepressants on the brain. Wilson showed that estradiol increased the binding of imipramine to the uptake of serotonin at membrane sites. Estrone had no effect, but the addition of progesterone to low doses of estrogen increased this effect. In all, the greatest effect seen was about a 20% enhancement of imipramine binding (Wilson et al., 1986). 

Osada, M., Mori, K. and Nomura, T. (1992) In vitro effects of estrogen and serotonin release of eggs from the ovary of the scallop. Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi, 58, 223-227. 

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