Linking physiologically-based pharmacokinetic and genome-scale metabolic networks to understand estradiol biology

摘要

BackgroundEstrogen is a vital hormone that regulates many biological functions within the body. These include roles in the development of the secondary sexual organs in both sexes, plus uterine angiogenesis and proliferation during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy in women. The varied biological roles of estrogens in human health also make them a therapeutic target for contraception, mitigation of the adverse effects of the menopause, and treatment of estrogen-responsive tumours. In addition, endogenous (e.g. genetic variation) and external (e.g. exposure to estrogen-like chemicals) factors are known to impact estrogen biology. To understand how these multiple factors interact to determine an individual’s response to therapy is complex, and may be best approached through a systems approach.