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Follitropin

An acidic glycoprotein hormone of the anterior pituitary that stimulates the graafian follicles of the ovary and assists subsequently in follicular maturation and the secretion of estradiol; in the male, it stimulates the epithelium of the seminiferous tubules and is partially responsible for inducing spermatogenesis.

Synonym: follicle-stimulating hormone, follicle-stimulating principle, gametokinetic hormone.

Origin: follicle _ g. Trope, a turning, _ -in