Editing Progesterone (section)

===Biosynthesis===
[[File:Steroidogenesis.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.8|[[Steroidogenesis]], showing progesterone among the progestogens in yellow area.<ref name="HäggströmRichfield2014">{{cite journal | vauthors = Häggström M, Richfield D |year=2014|title=Diagram of the pathways of human steroidogenesis|journal=WikiJournal of Medicine|volume=1|issue=1|doi=10.15347/wjm/2014.005|issn=2002-4436|doi-access=free}}</ref>]]

In mammals, progesterone, like all other [[steroid]] [[hormone]]s, is synthesized from [[pregnenolone]], which itself is derived from [[cholesterol]].{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Cholesterol undergoes double oxidation to produce [[22R-hydroxycholesterol|22''R''-hydroxycholesterol]] and then [[20α,22R-dihydroxycholesterol|20α,22''R''-dihydroxycholesterol]]. This vicinal [[diol]] is then further oxidized with loss of the side chain starting at position C22 to produce pregnenolone. This reaction is catalyzed by [[cytochrome]] [[P450scc]].{{cn|date=February 2025}}

The conversion of pregnenolone to progesterone takes place in two steps. First, the 3β-[[hydroxyl]] group is oxidized to a [[ketone|keto]] group and second, the [[double bond]] is moved to C4, from C5 through a keto/[[enol]] [[tautomer]]ization reaction.<ref name="isbn0-471-49641-3">{{cite book | vauthors = Bewick PM | title = Medicinal natural products: a biosynthetic approach | publisher = Wiley | location = New York | year = 2002 | pages = 244 | isbn = 0-471-49641-3 }}</ref> This reaction is catalyzed by [[3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase|3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/δ<sup>5-4</sup>-isomerase]].{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Progesterone in turn is the precursor of the mineralocorticoid [[aldosterone]], and after conversion to [[17α-hydroxyprogesterone]], of [[cortisol]] and [[androstenedione]]. Androstenedione can be converted to [[testosterone]], [[estrone]], and [[estradiol]], highlighting the critical role of progesterone in testosterone synthesis.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Pregnenolone and progesterone can also be synthesized by [[yeast]].<ref name="pmid9487528">{{cite journal | vauthors = Duport C, Spagnoli R, Degryse E, Pompon D | title = Self-sufficient biosynthesis of pregnenolone and progesterone in engineered yeast | journal = Nature Biotechnology | volume = 16 | issue = 2 | pages = 186–189 | date = February 1998 | pmid = 9487528 | doi = 10.1038/nbt0298-186 | s2cid = 852617 }}</ref>

Approximately 30&nbsp;mg of progesterone is secreted from the ovaries per day in reproductive-age women, while the adrenal glands produce about 1&nbsp;mg of progesterone per day.<ref name="LemkeWilliams2012 p1397">{{cite book|vauthors=Zavod RM|chapter=Women's Health|veditors=Lemke TL, Williams DA|title=Foye's Principles of Medicinal Chemistry|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sd6ot9ul-bUC&pg=PA1397|date=24 January 2012|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|isbn=978-1-60913-345-0|pages=1397–|access-date=19 July 2018|archive-date=14 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114025043/https://books.google.com/books?id=Sd6ot9ul-bUC&pg=PA1397|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Production rates, secretion rates, clearance rates, and blood levels of major sex hormones}}