A catechol estrogen is a steroidal

estrogen Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal ac ...

that contains

catechol Catechol ( or ), also known as pyrocatechol or 1,2-dihydroxybenzene, is a toxic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is the ''ortho'' isomer of the three isomeric benzenediols. This colorless compound occurs naturally in trace amoun ...

(1,2-dihydroxybenzene) within its structure. The catechol estrogens are endogenous metabolites of

estradiol Estradiol (E2), also spelled oestradiol, is an estrogen steroid hormone and the major female sex hormone. It is involved in the regulation of the estrous and menstrual female reproductive cycles. Estradiol is responsible for the development o ...

and

estrone Estrone (E1), also spelled oestrone, is a steroid, a weak estrogen, and a minor female sex hormone. It is one of three major endogenous estrogens, the others being estradiol and estriol. Estrone, as well as the other estrogens, are synthesized ...

and include the following compounds: * 2-Hydroxylated: ** 2-Hydroxyestradiol ** 2-Hydroxyestrone **

2-Hydroxyestriol 2-Hydroxyestriol, also known as estra-1,3,5(10)-triene-2,3,16α,17β-tetrol, is an endogenous catechol estrogen and metabolite of estriol. It is a suspected carcinogen A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes ...

* 4-Hydroxylated: **

4-Hydroxyestradiol 4-Hydroxyestradiol (4-OHE2), also known as estra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,4,17β-triol, is an endogenous, naturally occurring catechol estrogen and a minor metabolite of estradiol. It is estrogenic, similarly to many other hydroxylated estrogen metab ...

** 4-Hydroxyestrone **

4-Hydroxyestriol 4-Hydroxyestriol, also known as estra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,4,16α,17β-tetrol, is an endogenous catechol estrogen and metabolite of estriol. It has been found in pregnancy urine. See also * 2-Hydroxyestriol 2-Hydroxyestriol, also known as es ...

The most abundant catechol estrogen in serum and urine is 2-hydroxyestrone, with 2-hydroxyestradiol and 2-hydroxyestriol also being formed, while the principal 4-hydroxy catechol estrogen, 4-hydroxyestrone, is present in only small amounts in urine. 4-Hydroxyestriol has been detected in the urine of pregnant women. The catechol estrogens are formed from estradiol and estrone by

cytochrome P450 Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) are a superfamily of enzymes containing heme as a cofactor that functions as monooxygenases. In mammals, these proteins oxidize steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics, and are important for the clearance of various co ...

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

s predominantly in the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

but also in extrahepatic tissues, and are

metabolized Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...

by catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) into

methoxy In organic chemistry, a methoxy group is the functional group consisting of a methyl group bound to oxygen. This alkoxy group has the formula . On a benzene ring, the Hammett equation classifies a methoxy substituent at the ''para'' position a ...

lated estrogens such as 2-methoxyestradiol and 4-methoxyestrone as well as by

conjugation Conjugation or conjugate may refer to: Linguistics * Grammatical conjugation, the modification of a verb from its basic form * Emotive conjugation or Russell's conjugation, the use of loaded language Mathematics * Complex conjugation, the chang ...

via other phase II enzymes. Under poor conditions of inactivation by phase II enzymes, catechol estrogens can undergo

oxidation Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a ...

reactive Reactive may refer to: *Generally, capable of having a reaction (disambiguation) *An adjective abbreviation denoting a bowling ball coverstock made of reactive resin *Reactivity (chemistry) *Reactive mind *Reactive programming See also *Reactanc ...

quinones and

semiquinone Semiquinone (or ubisemiquinone) is a free radical resulting from the removal of one hydrogen atom with its electron during the process of dehydrogenation of a hydroquinone, such as hydroquinone itself or catechol, to a quinone or alternatively the ...

s, and this has been hypothesized to contribute to estrogen-induced

carcinogenesis Carcinogenesis, also called oncogenesis or tumorigenesis, is the formation of a cancer, whereby normal cells are transformed into cancer cells. The process is characterized by changes at the cellular, genetic, and epigenetic levels and abno ...

. Similarly to estradiol and estrone, catechol estrogens possess estrogenic activity. 2-Hydroxylated catechol estrogens are weak and possibly

antiestrogen Antiestrogens, also known as estrogen antagonists or estrogen blockers, are a class of drugs which prevent estrogens like estradiol from mediating their biological effects in the body. They act by blocking the estrogen receptor (ER) and/or ...

ic estrogens, whereas their 4-hydroxylated counterparts are more potent in their estrogenic activity. For instance, 2-hydroxyestrone reportedly shows negligible

uterotrophic The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The ut ...

effect in animals, whereas 4-hydroxy catechol estrogens show moderate changes in stimulating uterine weight. In addition to being substrates for COMT similarly to

catecholamine A catecholamine (; abbreviated CA) is a monoamine neurotransmitter, an organic compound that has a catechol (benzene with two hydroxyl side groups next to each other) and a side-chain amine. Catechol can be either a free molecule or a su ...

s like dopamine,

norepinephrine Norepinephrine (NE), also called noradrenaline (NA) or noradrenalin, is an organic chemical in the catecholamine family that functions in the brain and body as both a hormone and neurotransmitter. The name "noradrenaline" (from Latin '' ad' ...

, and epinephrine, catechol estrogens are potent

competitive Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

inhibitors of COMT as well as of

tyrosine hydroxylase Tyrosine hydroxylase or tyrosine 3-monooxygenase is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of the amino acid L-tyrosine to L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). It does so using molecular oxygen (O2), as well as iron (Fe2+) and t ...

, and may affect both catecholamine biosynthesis and metabolism.

References

{{Monoamine metabolism modulators Catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors Estranes Estrogens Human metabolites Steroid hormones