Figure 2.Crosstalk between apelin, oxytocin, or insulin and sex-hormone pathways: a sex-dimorphic perspective. Schematic illustration of the sex-specific bidirectional interactions between metabolic hormones (apelin, insulin, and oxytocin) and sex hormones. The central horizontal dashed line separates the male (left) and female (right) regulatory patterns. Blue text indicates effects on sex-hormone production and signaling, while red text shows the reciprocal effects of sex hormones on metabolic-hormone expression and function. Bidirectional arrows represent mutual regulatory relationships, demonstrating that metabolic hormones influence sex-hormone synthesis and receptor activity, and sex hormones modulate the expression and sensitivity of metabolic-hormone systems.
