The pituitary hormone prolactin (PRL) regulates a variety of functions beyond reproduction. The association between physiological (pregnancy) and pathological (prolactinoma) hyperprolactinemia and metabolic alterations led to the concept of this hormone being diabetogenic. However, large cohort clinical studies have recently shown that low circulating PRL levels are associated with metabolic disease and represent a risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D), whereas high PRL levels are beneficial. Moreover, PRL acts on the pancreas, liver, adipose tissue, and hypothalamus to maintain and promote metabolic homeostasis. By integrating basic and clinical evidence, we hypothesize that upregulation of PRL levels is a mechanism to maintain metabolic homeostasis and, thus, propose that the range of PRL levels considered physiological should be expanded to higher values.

中文翻译：

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催乳素在代谢中的新视角

垂体激素催乳素 (PRL) 调节除生殖以外的多种功能。生理性（怀孕）和病理性（催乳素瘤）高催乳素血症与代谢改变之间的关联导致了这种激素会导致糖尿病的概念。然而，最近的大型队列临床研究表明，低循环 PRL 水平与代谢疾病相关，是 2 型糖尿病 (T2D) 的危险因素，而高 PRL 水平是有益的。此外，PRL 作用于胰腺、肝脏、脂肪组织和下丘脑，以维持和促进代谢稳态。通过整合基础和临床证据，我们假设 PRL 水平的上调是维持代谢稳态的机制，因此，