Abstract
WE suggest a novel biological role for a specific plasma-binding protein in the regulation of oestrogen and androgen activity in man. The biological activity of oestradiol and testosterone, as with other steroids1, is probably exerted by the unbound fraction in plasma; this is only 1–3% of the total concentration. The plasma proteins that bind testosterone and oestradiol include sex-hormone-binding β globulin (SHBG)2, which has high affinity for both steroids; and albumin, which has low affinity but is present in three thousand times the concentration. Further, corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) binds testosterone3 though its main affinity is for cortisol and progesterone.
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BURKE, C., ANDERSON, D. Sex-Hormone-Binding Globulin is an Oestrogen Amplifier. Nature 240, 38–40 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/240038a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/240038a0
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