Immunomodulatory Effects of 17β-Estradiol on Epithelial Cells during Bacterial Infections

Figure 1

Estradiol synthesis. The production of estradiol can occur in different cell types. Estrogen is a product derived from cholesterol by a series of reactions throughout estrogen biosynthesis. The aromatase enzyme participates in the last step in E2 synthesis. Aromatase is a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily and is widely expressed in many cell types. As a result of these reactions, an 18-carbon molecule is produced with two hydroxyl groups in its molecular structure. The resulting molecule also contains an aromatic ring with a hydroxyl group on carbon 3 and a β-hydroxyl group or ketone at position 17 of ring D. The phenolic ring A is the main structural feature in which selective and high-affinity binding to estrogen receptors occurs [10, 23].