Inhibin,alpha

Inhibin α is a heterodimeric protein hormone belonging to the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily. It selectively inhibits the secretion of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) by pituitary cells through competitively binding to receptors with activators. Under physiological conditions, Inhibin α mainly exists in ovarian granulosa cells, inhibiting FSH secretion to prevent multiple follicles from developing simultaneously and reducing the risk of cellular carcinogenesis. Some research has found that Inhibin α is positively expressed to varying degrees in various ovarian malignancies, such as increased expression levels in granulosa cell tumors and mucinous ovarian cancer. Therefore, in clinical practice, Inhibin α can be used as a new diagnostic biomarker for ovarian tumors, which has potential guiding significance for patient prognosis evaluation and recurrence risk. In addition, Inhibin α has become one of the differential diagnostic biomarkers due to its specific expression in various sex cord-stromal tumors such as granulosa cell tumor, Leydig cell tumor and gynandroblastoma.