Dr. Leitman continued, "Estrogens have been used extensively to treat various indications in women's health including menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis. Unfortunately, estrogen use also results in a significantly increased risk for breast and uterine cancer, stroke and clotting events. The current estrogens were developed before there was a significant understanding of the molecular mechanisms whereby estrogens produce their clinical effects. The identification of two estrogen receptors that have different biological properties and the greater understanding of how these receptors regulate genes provides us with an extraordinary opportunity to develop more selective and safer estrogens. Our current review discusses three potential new types of estrogens on the horizon that might offer a new, safer therapeutic approach to treat menopausal symptoms. The first type is estrogen receptor subtype agonists, which exert their pharmacological effects by binding selectively to one of the two types of estrogen receptors. The second type of estrogens recruits co-regulatory proteins and chromatin remodeling factors to form functional complexes at one of the two types of estrogen receptors. The third type of estrogens acts as coagonists that alter the action of estrogens in the body. These three classes of estrogenic drugs result in specific and selective activity on gene regulation and tissues, allowing greater pharmacological accuracy and safety."  

SOURCE Bionovo, Inc.