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Sex steroids, also known as gonadal steroids, are steroid hormones which interact with vertebrate androgen or estrogen receptors. Natural sex steroids are made by the gonads (ovaries or testes), by adrenal glands, or by conversion from other sex steroids in other tissues such as liver or fat. The term sex hormone nearly always is synonymous with sex steroid.

Sex steroids play important roles inducing the body changes known as primary sex characteristics and secondary sex characteristics.

The development of both primary and secondary sexual characteristics is controlled by sex hormones after the initial fetal stage where the presence or absence of the Y-chromosome and/or the SRY gene determine development.

In many contexts, the two main classes of sex steroids are androgens and estrogens, of which the most important human examples are testosterone and estradiol respectively. Other contexts will include progestagen as a third class of sex steroids, distinct from androgens and estrogens. Progesterone is the most important and only naturally occurring human progestagen.

There are also many synthetic sex steroids. Synthetic androgens are often referred to as anabolic steroids. Synthetic estrogens and progestins are used in oral contraceptive pills. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic estrogen.

Sex steroids include:

• androgens:xx
  • testosterone
  • androstenedione
  • dihydrotestosterone
  • dehydroepiandrosterone
  • anabolic steroids
• estrogens:
  • estradiol
  • diethylstilbestrol
• progestagens:
  • progesterone
  • progestins

[edit] See also

• Klinefelter's syndrome
• Androgen insensitivity syndrome
• Sex-hormone therapy

Hormones and endocrine glands - edit

Hypothalamus: - TRH - CRH - GnRH - GHRH - somatostatin - dopamine | Posterior pituitary: vasopressin - oxytocin - lipotropin | Anterior pituitary: GH - ACTH - TSH - LH - FSH - prolactin - MSH - endorphins - lipotropin Thyroid: T3 and T4 - calcitonin | Parathyroid: PTH | Adrenal medulla: epinephrine - norepinephrine | Adrenal cortex: aldosterone - cortisol - DHEA | Pancreas: glucagon- insulin - somatostatin | Ovary: estradiol - progesterone - inhibin - activin | Testis: testosterone - AMH - inhibin | Pineal gland: melatonin | Kidney: renin - EPO - calcitriol - prostaglandin | Heart atrium: ANP Stomach: gastrin | Duodenum: CCK - GIP - secretin - motilin - VIP | Ileum: enteroglucagon | Liver: IGF-1 Placenta: hCG - HPL - estrogen - progesterone Adipose tissue: leptin, adiponectin Target-derived NGF, BDNF, NT-3

de:Sexualhormon

fr:Stéroïde sexuel lt:Lytiniai hormonai nl:Geslachtshormoonsv:Könshormon

This page uses content from the English-language version of Wikipedia. The original article was at Sex steroid. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Psychology Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.