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Prolactin (PRL), also known as lactotropin and mammotropin, is a protein best known for its role in enabling mammals to produce milk. It is influential in over 300 separate processes in various vertebrates, including humans. [5] Prolactin is secreted from the pituitary gland in response to eating, mating, estrogen treatment, ovulation and ...
Across multiple species and in some cases across sexes, there is evidence for the phylogenetic conservation of parental hormones. These include the relationships between the hormones estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, and oxytocin. In males across species, including humans, increased prolactin levels are associated with fatherhood.
The embryo upregulates hCG, drives growth of the cell, and upregulates P4 production driving development. hCG and P4 direct changes in the mother to enable successful pregnancy (see below) via upregulation of specific hormones that act to direct both endocrinological and biological changes within the mother for successful pregnancy.
A prolactin cell (also known as a lactotropic cell, epsilon acidophil, lactotrope, lactotroph, mammatroph, mammotroph) is a cell in the anterior pituitary which produces prolactin (a peptide hormone) in response to hormonal signals including dopamine (which is inhibitory), thyrotropin-releasing hormone and estrogen (especially during pregnancy), which are stimulatory.
Estrogen and progesterone cause the secretion of high levels of prolactin from the anterior pituitary, [32] [33] which reach levels as high as 20 times greater than normal menstrual cycle levels. [31] IGF-1 and IGF-2 levels also increase dramatically during pregnancy, due to secretion of placental growth hormone (PGH). [34]
Estrogen treatment can diminish nipple sensitivity, which leads to decreased prolactin release. [8] Therefore, pausing estrogen treatment can effectively restore nipple tactile-sensitivity to infant suckling, thereby activating the release of lactogenic hormones.
These two hormones play an important role in communicating to the gonads. In females FSH and LH act primarily to activate the ovaries to produce estrogen and inhibin and to regulate the menstrual cycle and ovarian cycle. Estrogen forms a negative feedback loop by inhibiting the production of GnRH in the hypothalamus.
Prolactin and insulin-like growth factor binding protein are two examples of the hormones and growth factors that relaxin can stimulate the secretion of. [21] Preprorelaxin is the collective term for the signal peptide , B chain, C peptide, and A chain found in the coding area of human relaxin genes. [ 22 ]