prolactin

Also known as lactotropin, PRL, luteotropin, lactogen, luteotropic hormone, lactogenic hormone, LTH

Prolactin (PRL), also known as lactotropin and mammotropin, is a protein best known for its role in enabling mammals to produce milk. It is influential in over 300 separate processes in various vertebrates, including humans. Prolactin is secreted from the pituitary gland and plays an essential role in metabolism, regulation of the immune system and pancreatic development.

AI overview

Prolactin is a protein made by your pituitary gland that is best known for helping mammals produce milk, but it also influences over 300 different processes throughout the body. Beyond milk production, prolactin plays important roles in metabolism, immune system regulation, and pancreatic development.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

57,074 papers

Prolactin: structure, function, and regulation of secretion.ReviewPhysiological reviews · 2000Freeman ME, Kanyicska B, Lerant A et al.DOI: 10.1152/physrev.2000.80.4.1523
Prolactin and avian parental care: New insights and unanswered questions.ReviewHormones and behavior · 2019Smiley KODOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.02.012
Prolactin's paradox: Friend, foe, or both in immune regulation?ReviewAutoimmunity reviews · 2024Borba V, Carrera-Bastos P, Zandman-Goddard G et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2024.103643
Prolactin's diverse physiological roles and the clinical significance of hyperprolactinemia.ReviewGinekologia polska · 2025Bocianska K, Bochynski H, Markwitz M et al.DOI: 10.5603/gpl.105311
[Prolactin].ReviewNederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde · 1978Lamberts SW, Klijn JG, Birkenhäger JC
Target cell prolactin, II.ReviewInternational review of cytology · 1985Nolin JMDOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(08)60578-1
Effects of prolactin on hematopoiesis.ReviewLupus · 2001Welniak LA, Richards SM, Murphy WJDOI: 10.1191/096120301717164930
Prolactin is an important regulator of intestinal calcium transport.ReviewCanadian journal of physiology and pharmacology · 2007Charoenphandhu N, Krishnamra NDOI: 10.1139/y07-041

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Wikidata facts

Image: Prolactina.jpg

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Commons category: Prolactin

Sources (5)

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~23 min read

Article

19 sections

Contents

Function
In humans
In other vertebrates
Regulation
Pituitary
Extrapituitary
Structure and isoforms
Prolactin receptor
Diagnostic use
Units and unit conversions
Reference ranges
Inter-method variability
Conditions
Elevated levels
Decreased levels
In medicine
See also
References
External links

Discovered in non-human animals around 1930 by Oscar Riddle and confirmed in humans in 1970 by Henry Friesen, prolactin is a peptide hormone, encoded by the PRL gene.