Advances in Sex Hormones
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 49
Special Issue Editor
Interests: neurosteroids; neurohormones; allopregnanolone; brexanolone; lordosis; anxiolysis; anesthesia; CRPS; seizure disorder; Alzheimer's disease; traumatic brain injury post-traumatic brain injury GABAA receptors; D1 and D2 like type receptors; glutamate receptors; ventral tegmental area; hippocampus
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
With recent anniversaries of key steroid receptors being celebrated, their impact has been highlighted, along with the contributions of their discoverers, such as the 50th anniversary of Jenson and Jacobson’s discovery of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα). Since the discovery of progesterone receptors 90 years ago, advancements have been made in various areas, including O’Malley’s innovative study on the progestin receptor and steroid receptor co-activators. Significant progress was made with the finding that there is a second estrogen receptor, which differs in terms of the ligands that it can bind to and its distribution compared to its precursor. Moreover, ERβ was discovered in the prostate and was found to bind selective estrogen and androgen receptor modulators. Gustafsson’s work on the discovery of ERβ, which plays a predominant role in the function of the gut, circulatory system, and brain of men and women, was groundbreaking. Typically, 90% of serotonin and 50% of dopamine is produced in the gut. ERβ has been localized to the microvilli of the intestines, facilitating the transport of neurotransmitters to the ERβ-rich vasculature through the circulatory system to target sites in the bone and brain. Endocrine disruptors, sugar, or other factors in processed foods can interfere with the binding of ERβ ligands to their receptors. In the brain, ERβ is localized to the prefrontal cortex, which is crucial for executive thinking and error detection; the nucleus accumbens, which is responsible for addiction; the amygdala, an important region that is significant for fear learning; the hippocampus, which is involved in learning and memory and affect; and the ventral tegmental area, which is vital for motivation and emotion. These brain areas are also involved in the emotional processing of social stimuli through ERβ and oxytocin receptors. Any/all of these functions may be involved in the brain, bone, circulatory, or gut health and play a critical role in health.
For this Special Issue, we welcome original research articles and critical reviews that enhance our understanding of the molecular, cellular, and systemic mechanisms underlying sex hormone actions, their cross-talk with other signaling pathways, and their translational implications for reproductive health, metabolic disorders, neurobiology, and age-related diseases.
Dr. Cheryl Anne Frye
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- neurosteroids
- selective estrogen receptor β modulators (SERMs)
- selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs)
- non-genomic
- estriol
- gut health
- cardiovascular disease
- stroke
- lordosis
- prostate
- cognition
- addiction
- nutrition
- oxytocin
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