Abstract: Estrogen exerts antidepressant effects mainly through estrogen receptors. Presently, estrogen receptor α (ERα), estrogen receptor β (ERβ) and G-protein coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) have been studied a lot. The three kinds of estrogen receptors play different roles in the antidepressant effects, and GPER may be related to the rapid antidepressant effects of estrogen. It is important to fully understand the different effects of estrogen receptors in order to find new targets for the treatment of depression, fully play the antidepressant effects of estrogen and reduce side effects.

Key words: receptors, estrogen, estrogen receptor α, estrogen receptor β, depressive disorder, review, G-protein coupled estrogen receptor