Crossword clues for prolactin
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Wiktionary
n. (context biochemistry English) A peptide gonadotrophic hormone secreted by the pituitary gland; it stimulates growth of the mammary glands and lactation in females.
WordNet
n. gonadotropic hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary; in females it stimulates growth of the mammary glands and lactation after parturition [syn: lactogenic hormone, luteotropin]
Wikipedia
Prolactin (PRL), also known as luteotropic hormone or luteotropin, is a protein that in humans is best known for its role in enabling mammals, usually females, to produce milk. It is influential over 300 separate processes in various vertebrates. Prolactin is secreted from the pituitary gland in response to eating, mating, estrogen treatment, ovulation and nursing. Prolactin is secreted in pulses in between these events. Prolactin plays an essential role in metabolism, regulation of the immune system and pancreatic development.
Discovered in non-human animals around 1930 by Oscar Riddle and confirmed in humans in 1970 by Henry Friesen prolactin is a peptide hormone, encoded by the PRL gene.
It is associated with human milk production. In fish it is thought to be related to control of water and salt balance. Prolactin also acts in a cytokine-like manner and as an important regulator of the immune system. It has important cell cycle-related functions as a growth-, differentiating- and anti- apoptotic factor. As a growth factor, binding to cytokine-like receptors, it influences hematopoiesis, angiogenesis and is involved in the regulation of blood clotting through several pathways. The hormone acts in endocrine, autocrine and paracrine manner through the prolactin receptor and a large number of cytokine receptors.
Pituitary prolactin secretion is regulated by endocrine neurons in the hypothalamus. The most important ones are the neurosecretory tuberoinfundibulum (TIDA) neurons of the arcuate nucleus that secrete dopamine (aka Prolactin Inhibitory Hormone) to act on the D receptors of lactotrophs, causing inhibition of prolactin secretion. Thyrotropin-releasing factor (thyrotropin-releasing hormone) has a stimulatory effect on prolactin release, however Prl is the only adenohypophyseal hormone whose principal control is inhibitory.
Several variants and forms are known per species. Many fish have variants prolactin A and prolactin B. Most vertebrates including humans also have the closely related somatolactin. In humans, three smaller (4, 16 and 22 kDa) and several larger (so called big and big-big) variants exist.
Usage examples of "prolactin".
A more direct influence, on prolactin at least, is the stimulating effect of suckling.
Undoubtedly the occasional news reports of increased milk production by dairy cattle when soft music is played in the stalls is due to the stimulation of prolactin secretion by any environmental factor that brings on a sensation of well-being and freedom from insecurity.
The galactorrhea--might be related to the elevated prolactin, but might not.
That principle might be transferable to men, since manual stimulation of the nipples causes a prolactin surge in men as well as in nonlac-tating women.
Her symptoms are headaches and an overproduction of prolactin, resulting in unpleasant symptoms that mimic pregnancy.
For now, she controls her condition with drug therapy that is supposed to lower prolactin levels and shrink the tumor in size.
She has to take medication to lower her abnormally high levels of prolactin, and she may have to be on the medication the rest of her life unless she has the tumor removed.
But too much prolactin overloads the hypothalamus and causes an unbalanced physiological state that ends in death.