A hydroxylated metabolite of estradiol or estrone that has a hydroxyl group at C3-beta, 16-alpha, and 17-beta position. Estriol is a major urinary estrogen. During pregnancy, large amount of estriol is produced by the placenta. Isomers with inversion of the hydroxyl group or groups are called epiestriol. Though estriol is used as part of the primarily North American phenomenon of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, it is not approved for use by the FDA or Health Canada. It is however available in the United States by prescription filled only by compounding pharmacies. It has also been approved and marketed throughout Europe and Asia for approximately 40 years for the treatment of post-menopausal hot flashes.
Drug Info/Drug Targets: DrugBank 3.0: a comprehensive resource for 'omics' research on drugs. Knox C, Law V, Jewison
T, Liu P, Ly S, Frolkis A, Pon A, Banco K, Mak C, Neveu V, Djoumbou Y, Eisner R, Guo AC, Wishart DS.
Nucleic Acids Res. 2011 Jan; 39 (Database issue):D1035-41. | PMID:21059682
