ER beta: a novel estrogen receptor offers the potential for new drug development

There is increasing interest in developing better drugs for improving the h ealth of women. Because of the multiple target organs for estrogens and the occurrence of both beneficial and unwanted effects during treatment, the k ey to improvement in drug therapy is the development of estrogen receptor m odulators with better tissue selectivity. The recent discovery that there a ve not one bur two estrogen receptors, ER alpha and ER beta, each with its unique tissue distribution and with differing and sometimes opposing action s on certain genes, promises new hope for the development of novel, tissue- selective estrogens. Our present knowledge of the tissue distribution of ER alpha and ER beta suggests that development of selective therapies for tre atment and/or prevention of menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, cardiovascul ar disease, type II diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and urinary incontinence is an achievable goal in the foreseeable future. Furthermore, it is possibl e that future estrogen therapy might be beneficial for men.