title: Sex and the liver - a journey through five decades.
abstract: Metabolism of steroids and drugs in rodents is sexually differentiated. The reason for this turned out to be the sexually differentiated growth hormone (GH) secretory pattern regulating the expression of a number of hepatic cytochrome P-450 genes. Although not fully resolved, it is clear that several signaling pathways and transcription factors are involved in mediating the effects of GH. It may be argued that such a well-controlled physiological system should have an important biological role and we speculate that the demands of a robust hepatic steroid metabolism during pregnancy has led to the development of this sexually differentiated hypothalamo-pituitary-liver axis.
authors: Department of Medical Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Novum, Huddinge, Sweden. agneta.mode@mednut.ki.se
authors: Agneta
authors: A
authors: Mode
authors: Jan-Ake
authors: JA
authors: Gustafsson