Pharmacology of Reproduction Flashcards
What are the 3 major categories of sex hormones?
Estrogens (estradiol, E), Progestins (progesterone, P) and Androgens (testosterone, T)
What is the primary female sex steroid?
Estrogen
What is the primary male sex steroid?
Androgens
True or false: Progestins both facilitate and oppose estrogen actions
True
Most potent endogenous estrogen is
17 beta-estradiol
Most potent endogenous progestin is
Progesterone
True or false: Estrogens are only present in females and androgens are only present in males
False. All three classes of endogenous steroids are present in both males and females
Steroid hormones are synthesized from ___________
Cholesterol
Estrogens are derived from ___________ of precursor androgens
Aromatization
Which is the most potent circulating estrogen?
estradiol (E2)
What enzyme converts testosterone to DHT (5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone)?
5-alpha-reductase
Finasteride and dutasteride MOA
Inhibits 5-alpha-reductase enzyme
True or false: The quantity of sex hormones present in male and female is different
True
True or false: Continuous GnRH secretion induces gonadotropin release
False
What are the two gonadotropins?
Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
Rise in levels of what hormone indicates blastocyst implantation in uterine lining
human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)
Pathophysiology of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
Disruption of hypothalamic-pituitary-reproduction-axis
Pathophysiology of hypogonadism and menopause
Decreased estrogen or androgen secretion
GnRH agonist MOA and example
Continuous administration. Leuprolide, goserelin, nafaralin, etc.
GnRH receptor antagonist examples
Cetrorelix, ganirelix or degarelix
Aromatase inhibitors can (inc/dec) estrogen levels
Decrease
Aromatase inhibitors can be used to inhibit the growth of ________ dependent tumors
Estrogen
Tamoxifen drug class
Estrogen receptor antagonists
True or false: Steroidal aromatase inhibitors are competitive inhibitors of aromatase
False. Steroidal aromatase inhibitors bind covalently to aromatase. Ex. exemestane, formestane
True or false: Nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors are competitive inhibitors of aromatase
True. Ex. anastrazole, letrozole
Adverse effect of aromatase inhibitors
Increased risk of osteoporosis (estrogen helps regulate bone density)
True or false: Estrogenic activities are tissue specific
True
Two types of estrogen receptors
ER-alpha and ER-beta