Editorial: Follicle-Stimulating Hormone: Fertility and Beyond

Follicle-Stimulating Hormone: Fertility and Beyond Propagating life to the next generation is a hormone-dependent process relying on the individual wish to generate own progeny and resulting in maintenance of species. This Research Topic is dedicated to Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and its receptor (FSHR) and their role in reproduction. FSH is a typical example of a drug which entered clinical use in the "pre-evidence-based medicine era, " just for its efficacy in stimulating gonadal function and fertility in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. More recently, FSH entered clinical use in controlled ovarian stimulation in order to obtain multiple follicular growth for assisted reproduction. Given the progressive increase in couple infertility, the demand for assisted reproduction grows steadily and the FSH market is flourishing. Yet, very little was known about the FSH mode of action until a few years ago, and the therapeutic use of FSH is still far from being evidence-based. But great progress in our understanding of FSH action was made in the last two decades and, since not many scientists around the world are active in the gonadotropin/FSH research "niche, " we thought it was time to call them to report to tell us their view on the state-of-the-art. The result is this "Research Topic." Starting from the cover image, the illustration depicts "San Giuseppe con il Bambino" (Saint Joseph with his child son) by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), an almost unknown work by the great Italian renaissance artist painted using the "sanguigna" technique on the left wall of the private Chapel in Palazzo Chigi, Ariccia, near Rome. We chose this picture for its evocative power: a seemingly old man holds his sleeping son in his arms, looking at him in adoration. This picture reminds us of several actual aspects of reproduction: late paternity, fertility/infertility, perhaps even "assisted" reproduction, and the centrality of parenthood for life. All aspects related to FSH. We would like to thank architect Francesco Petrucci, the curator of the museum, for granting us permission to use Bernini's work for this issue. We asked the authors who participated in this Research Topic to consider the following questions: Why is FSH absolutely necessary for fertility in some species and not in others? How does FSH interact with other hormone-receptor systems (e.g.,-but not exclusively-Luteinizing Hormone and its receptor) in the cells where the FSHR is expressed? How do these interactions contribute to the apparent pleotropic and sometimes even redundant interplay between the LH and FSH? What is the current knowledge about FSH-mediated signaling and FSHR structure-functions? Is FSH helpful to increase fertility potential in infertile couples? Can we effectively base novel therapeutic approaches to infertility on genetic variants of FSH and its receptor (pharmacogenetics)? Can we develop low molecular weight, selective FSH analogs stimulating/modulating specific effects? Is it possible to block some specific action/mechanism of FSH for contraceptive purposes? Does FSH have a role in cancer and other diseases? The result of this call is a very comprehensive collection of 21 articles dealing with such aspects.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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