Inhibin and Activin

Inhibin is a glycoprotein hormone that acts preferentially to

inhibit pituitary FSH release. It is produced by human testis
and by ovarian granulosa cells, including the corpus luteum.
Inhibin is a heterodimer made up of an α-subunit and one of
two distinct β-subunits, βA or βB. All three are produced by
trophoblast, and maternal serum levels peak at term (Petraglia,
1991). One function may be to act in concert with the large
amounts of sex steroid hormones to inhibit FSH secretion and
thereby inhibit ovulation during pregnancy. Inhibin may act via
GnRH to regulate placental hCG synthesis (Petraglia, 1987).
Activin is closely related to inhibin and is formed by the
combination of the two β-subunits. Its receptor is expressed in
the placenta and amnion. Activin A is not detectable in fetal
blood before labor but is present in umbilical cord blood after
labor begins. Petraglia (1994) found that serum