Roles of follicle stimulating hormone and its receptor in human metabolic diseases and cancer.

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and its receptor (FSHR) play an important role in human metabolic diseases and cancer. Evidence showed that FSHR is not only distributed in ovary and testis but also in other cells or organs such as osteoclast, adipocytes, liver, pituitary cancer and so forth. Moreover, FSH is associated with lipogenesis, inflammation, insulin sensitivity, thermogenesis, skeletal metabolism, osteogenesis and ovarian cancer, all of which have been confirmed closely related to metabolic diseases or metabolic-related cancer. Therefore, FSH and FSHR may be potential therapeutic targets for metabolic diseases and metabolic-related cancer. Epidemiological researches revealed close relationship between FSH/FSHR and metabolic diseases or cancer. Experimental studies elucidated the underlying mechanism both in vivo and in vitro. We reviewed the recent researches and present an integrated framework of FSH/FSHR and metabolic diseases and cancer, which provides potential targets for the treatments of metabolic diseases and cancer.