Open Access

REVIEW

Minireview: C2- and C4-position 17β-estradiol metabolites and their relation to breast cancer

ANNIE JOUBERT^1*, HERMIA VAN ZYL¹, JOHANNES LAURENS², MONA-LIZA LOTTERING¹

1. Department of Physiology, University of Pretoria, P.O. Box 2034, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
2. Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
* Address correspondence to: Annie Joubert. Fax: +27 12 3211679. E-mail: annie.joubert@up.ac.za

BIOCELL 2009, 33(3), 137-140. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2009.33.137

Abstract

C2- and C4-position 17β-estradiol metabolites play an important role in breast carcinogenesis. 2-Hydroxyestradiol and 4-hydroxyestradiol are implicated in tumorigenesis via two pathways. These pathways entail increased cell proliferation and the formation of reactive oxygen species that trigger an increase in the likelihood of deoxyribonucleic acid mutations.
2-Methoxyestradiol, a 17β-estradiol metabolite, however, causes induction of apoptosis in transformed and tumor cells; thus exhibiting an antiproliferative effect on tumor growth. The 4-hydroxyestradiol:2- methoxyestradiol and 2-hydroxyestradiol:2-methoxyestradiolratios therefore ought to be taken into account as possible indicators of carcinogenesis.

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