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Progestin

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Cancer

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Synonyms

Progestogen

Definition

Progestin is a synthetic progestogen that has progestinic effects similar to progesterone. Progesterone (4-pregnene-3,20-dione, P4) is an ovarian steroid hormone that plays a key role in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation in the female reproductive tract. Progesterone also regulates diverse biological effects in a broad range of tissues, even of the cardiovascular and the central nervous systems, and participates in the bone maintenance and regulation of thymic involution. Progesterone has also been implicated in the development and progression of breast cancer. Progestogen defines the category of hormone molecules (natural and synthetic) that act like progesterone in the uterus, and the term progestin has been generally used to refer to both a series of synthetic hormone molecules and progesterone. The generic term progestin refers to both progesterone and synthetic progestins.

Characteristics

The two most studied progesterone...

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References

  • Edwards DP (2005) Regulation of signal transduction pathways by estrogen and progesterone. Annu Rev Physiol 67:335–376

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Molecular Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis, Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine (IBYME), CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Patricia V. Elizalde

Authors
  1. Patricia V. Elizalde
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patricia V. Elizalde .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abt. Tumorgenetik, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany

    Manfred Schwab

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Elizalde, P.V. (2015). Progestin. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_4756-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_4756-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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