Bradford Scholars -how to deposit your paper
Overview
Copyright check• Check if your publisher allows submission to a repository.• Use the Sherpa RoMEO database if you are not sure about your publisher's position or email openaccess@bradford.ac.uk.
Androgens and skin & Androgens relevant to the skin Among the circulating androgens, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S) are predominantly produced in the adrenal cortex. Androstenedione is produced approximately equally by the adrenal cortex and the ovaries, and somewhat less by the testes [4]. These are weak prohormones that act only after conversion
Estrogen deficiency following menopause results in atrophic skin changes and acceleration of skin aging. Estrogens significantly modulate skin physiology, targeting keratinocytes, fibroblasts, melanocytes, hair follicles and sebaceous glands, and improve angiogenesis, wound healing and immune responses. Estrogen insufficiency decreases defense against oxidative stress; skin becomes thinner with less collagen, decreased elasticity, increased wrinkling, increased dryness and reduced vascularity. Its protective function becomes compromised and aging is associated with impaired wound healing, hair loss, pigmentary changes and skin cancer.
Skin aging can be significantly delayed by the administration of estrogen. This paper reviews estrogen effects on human skin and the mechanisms by which estrogens can alleviate the changes due to aging. The relevance of estrogen replacement, selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and phytoestrogens as therapies for diminishing skin aging is highlighted. Understanding estrogen signaling in skin will provide a basis for interventions in aging pathologies.
There is still extensive disparity in our understanding of how estrogens exert their actions, particularly in non-reproductive tissues such as the skin. Although it has been recognized for some time that estrogens have significant effects on many aspects of skin physiology and pathophysiology, studies on estrogen action in skin have been limited. However, estrogens clearly have an important function in many components of human skin including the epidermis, dermis, vasculature, hair follicle and the sebaceous, eccrine and apocrine glands, having significant roles in skin aging, pigmentation, hair growth, sebum production and skin cancer. The recent discovery of a second intracellular estrogen receptor (ERb) with different cell-specific roles to the classic estrogen receptor (ERa), and the identification of cell surface estrogen
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.