Physiol. Res. 60: 225-241, 2011 https://doi.org/10.33549/physiolres.932077 REVIEW Reduced Progesterone Metabolites in Human Late Pregnancy M. HILL1,2, A. PAŘÍZEK2, R. KANCHEVA1, J. E. JIRÁSEK3 1,2Institute of Endocrinology, Prague, Czech Republic, 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the First Faculty of Medicine and General Teaching Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic, 3Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics of the First Faculty of Medicine and General Teaching Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic Received November 20, 2010 Accepted November 25, 2010 On-line November 29, 2010 Summary Corresponding author In this review, we focused on the intersection between steroid A. Pařízek, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the metabolomics, obstetrics and steroid neurophysiology to give a First Faculty of Medicine and General Teaching Hospital, comprehensive insight into the role of sex hormones and Apolinářská 18, 128 51 Prague 2, Czech Republic. E-mail: neuroactive steroids (NAS) in the mechanism controlling
[email protected] pregnancy sustaining. The data in the literature including our studies show that there is a complex mechanism providing synthesis of either pregnancy sustaining or parturition provoking Introduction steroids. This mechanism includes the boosting placental synthesis of CRH with approaching parturition inducing the Although the effects of neuroactive and excessive synthesis of 3β-hydroxy-5-ene steroid sulfates serving neuroprotective 5α/β-reduced progesterone metabolites primarily as precursors for placental synthesis of progestogens, were extensively studied, the physiological relevance of estrogens and NAS. The distribution and changing activities of these substances remains frequently uncertain due to the placental oxidoreductases are responsible for the activation or lack of metabolomic data.