About 75 years after the discovery of the pregnancy-related hormone relaxin, scientists finally have identified the receptors that bind with the hormone. The discovery provides new targets for drugs to treat pregnancy problems as well as other conditions thought to be affected by relaxin.
Relaxin performs a number of functions during pregnancy and childbirth, including promoting the growth and dilation of the cervix. But the hormone's effects are not limited to pregnancy. It seems to play a role in building new blood vessels, and may have several other functions.
Even though researchers have known about relaxin for years, they have not been able to find the cell structures, or receptors, to which relaxin attaches.
Researchers have identified two proteins that serve as relaxin receptors. The receptors -- proteins called LGR7 and LGR8 -- in the heart, brain, kidney and a variety of other non-reproductive tissues. This "highlights the important roles of this hormone" in a variety of processes including congestive heart failure and brain function.
It is possible that the discovery of relaxin receptors may also lead to better treatment for wound healing and better relief of postmenopausal symptoms.
Levels of relaxin, like those of estrogen and progesterone, diminish during menopause. It is possible that we are overlooking the important therapeutic benefits of relaxin by using only estrogen hormone replacement therapy for treating postmenopausal women.
Science January 25, 2002;295:671-674
An interesting article which seems like it will have some future bearings in our understanding of hormone replacement. To me this information tends to reinforce that there is a lot more to the body that is happening then we have any idea of.
Long held beliefs and truths seem to be transformed nearly overnight by new scientific discoveries. I suspect that the uncovering of the human genome will only accelerate this process.