Adaptive remodeling of the stimulus-secretion coupling: Lessons from the 'stressed' adrenal medulla
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:221-295. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.05.004. Epub 2023 Jun 8.ABSTRACTStress is part of our daily lives and good health in the modern world is offset by unhealthy lifestyle factors, including the deleterious consequences of stress and associated pathologies. Repeated and/or prolonged stress may disrupt the body homeostasis and thus threatens our lives. Adaptive processes that allow the organism to adapt to new environmental conditions and maintain its homeostasis are therefore crucial. The adrenal glands are major endocrine/neuroendocrine organs involved in the adaptive response of the body facing stressful...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Nathalie C Gu érineau Source Type: research
Current insight into the transient X-zone in the adrenal gland cortex
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:297-339. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.05.003. Epub 2023 Jul 12.ABSTRACTMouse models have been widely used in the study of adrenal gland development and diseases. The X-zone is a unique structure of the mouse adrenal gland and lineage-tracing studies show that the X-zone is a remnant of the fetal adrenal cortex. Although the X-zone is considered analogous to the fetal zone in the human adrenal cortex, the functional significance of the X-zone has remained comparatively more obscure. The X-zone forms during the early postnatal stages of adrenal development and regresses later in a remarkable sexually dimorphi...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Yuan Kang Karly Laprocina Huifei Sophia Zheng Chen-Che Jeff Huang Source Type: research
Aging of the adrenal gland and its impact on the stress response
This article discusses the physiological and anatomical changes of adrenal gland with age and the effects this has overall on how the organ responds to stress. Physiological changes entail a decrease in adrenocorticoid hormone secretion however cortisol levels remain intact leading to a disruptive stress response. Additionally, loss of zonation of the organ also occurs. Both characteristics in combination with chronic stress affect overall health. Complex interplay between adrenal aging and stress responsiveness is confounded further by the impact they expel on other systems, such as the thyroid hormone. The body undergoes...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Andreas Yiallouris Charalampos Filippou Sophia C Themistocleous Katerina Menelaou Vasiliki Kalodimou Charalambos Michaeloudes Elizabeth O Johnson Source Type: research
3D organization of the rat adrenal medulla
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:367-392. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.06.003. Epub 2023 Nov 10.ABSTRACTWithout knowledge of the spatial [three-dimensional, (3D)] organization of an organ at the tissue and cellular levels, it is impossible to form a complete picture of its structure and function. At the same time, tissue components hidden in the thickness of the organ are the most difficult to study. The rapid development of computer technologies has contributed both to the development and implementation of new methods for studying 3D microstructures of organs, and the improvement of classical ones but the most complete picture can still b...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: K G Kemoklidze N A Tyumina Source Type: research
Serotonin and the serotonin transporter in the adrenal gland
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:39-78. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.06.002. Epub 2023 Jul 18.ABSTRACTThe adrenal glands are key components of the mammalian endocrine system, helping maintain physiological homeostasis and the coordinated response to stress. Each adrenal gland has two morphologically and functionally distinct regions, the outer cortex and inner medulla. The cortex is organized into three concentric zones which secrete steroid hormones, including aldosterone and cortisol. Neural crest-derived chromaffin cells in the medulla are innervated by preganglionic sympathetic neurons and secrete catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinep...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Mary Beth Bauer Kevin P M Currie Source Type: research
Angiotensin II-dependent aldosterone production in the adrenal cortex
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:393-404. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.05.001. Epub 2023 Jun 1.ABSTRACTThe adrenal cortex is responsible for production of adrenal steroid hormones and is anatomically divided into three distinct zones: zona glomerulosa secreting mineralocorticoids (mainly aldosterone), zona fasciculata secreting glucocorticoids (cortisol), and zona reticularis producing androgens. Importantly, due to their high lipophilicity, no adrenal steroid hormone (including aldosterone) is stored in vesicles but rather gets synthesized and secreted instantly upon cell stimulation with specific stimuli. Aldosterone is the most potent m...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Anastasios Lymperopoulos Jordana I Borges Malka S Suster Source Type: research
A cholesterol-centric outlook on steroidogenesis
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:405-428. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.05.006. Epub 2023 Sep 12.ABSTRACTCholesterol, an essential and versatile lipid, is the precursor substrate for the biosynthesis of steroid hormones, and a key structural and functional component of organelle membranes in eukaryotic cells. Consequently, the framework of steroidogenesis across main steroidogenic cell types is built around cholesterol, including its cellular uptake, mobilization from intracellular storage, and finally, its transport to the mitochondria where steroidogenesis begins. This setup, which is controlled by different trophic hormones in their resp...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Simarjit Kaur Sidhu Suresh Mishra Source Type: research
Functional interaction of Clock genes and bone morphogenetic proteins in the adrenal cortex
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:429-447. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.05.002. Epub 2023 Jun 1.ABSTRACTThe bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) system in the adrenal cortex plays modulatory roles in the control of adrenocortical steroidogenesis. BMP-6 enhances aldosterone production by modulating angiotensin (Ang) II-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, whereas activin regulates the adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)-cAMP cascade in adrenocortical cells. A peripheral clock system in the adrenal cortex was discovered and it has been shown to have functional roles in the adjustment of adrenocortical steroidogenesis by interacting with the ...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Yoshiaki Soejima Koichiro Yamamoto Yasuhiro Nakano Atsuhito Suyama Nahoko Iwata Fumio Otsuka Source Type: research
Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, septic adrenal apoplexy
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:449-461. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.06.001. Epub 2023 Nov 8.ABSTRACTWaterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome is a rare but potentially fatal disorder of the adrenal gland characterized by bilateral adrenal hemorrhage. It is classically a result of meningococcal sepsis and presents acutely with features of shock, petechial rashes, abdominal pain, and non-specific symptoms such as headache, fatigue, and vomiting. Treatment consists of fluid resuscitation, corticosteroid replacement, and possibly surgery. The prognosis is poor despite treatment. This chapter will review the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical features,...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Rishikesh Rijal Kamal Kandel Barun Babu Aryal Ankush Asija Dhan Bahadur Shrestha Yub Raj Sedhai Source Type: research
The changes in adrenal developmental programming and homeostasis in offspring induced by glucocorticoids exposure during pregnancy
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:463-490. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.09.001. Epub 2024 Feb 9.ABSTRACTClinically, synthetic glucocorticoids are often used to treat maternal and fetal related diseases, such as preterm birth and autoimmune diseases. Although its clinical efficacy is positive, it will expose the fetus to exogenous glucocorticoids. Adverse environments during pregnancy (e.g., exogenous glucocorticoids exposure, malnutrition, infection, hypoxia, and stress) can lead to fetal overexposure to endogenous maternal glucocorticoids. Basal glucocorticoids levels in utero are crucial in determining fetal tissue maturation and its post...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Yawen Chen Hui Wang Source Type: research
Regulation of lipid droplets and cholesterol metabolism in adrenal cortical cells
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:79-136. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.06.007. Epub 2023 Jul 11.ABSTRACTThe adrenal gland is composed of two distinctly different endocrine moieties. The interior medulla consists of neuroendocrine chromaffin cells that secrete catecholamines like adrenaline and noradrenaline, while the exterior cortex consists of steroidogenic cortical cells that produce steroid hormones, such as mineralocorticoids (aldosterone), glucocorticoids (cortisone and cortisol) and androgens. Synthesis of steroid hormones in cortical cells requires substantial amounts of cholesterol, which is the common precursor for steroidogenesis...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Knut Tomas Dalen Yuchuan Li Source Type: research
MicroRNA regulation of adrenal glucocorticoid and androgen biosynthesis
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:1-37. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.06.006. Epub 2023 Nov 24.ABSTRACTSteroid hormones are derived from a common precursor molecule, cholesterol, and regulate a wide range of physiologic function including reproduction, salt balance, maintenance of secondary sexual characteristics, response to stress, neuronal function, and various metabolic processes. Among the steroids synthesized by the adrenal and gonadal tissues, adrenal mineralocorticoids, and glucocorticoids are essential for life. The process of steroidogenesis is regulated at multiple levels largely by transcriptional, posttranscriptional, translatio...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Salman Azhar Wen-Jun Shen Zhigang Hu Fredric B Kraemer Source Type: research
MicroRNAs in aldosterone production and action
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:137-163. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.07.001. Epub 2023 Aug 14.ABSTRACTAldosterone is a cardiovascular hormone with a key role in blood pressure regulation, among other processes, mediated through its targeting of the mineralocorticoid receptor in the renal tubule and selected other tissues. Its secretion from the adrenal gland is a highly controlled process subject to regulatory influence from the renin-angiotensin system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. MicroRNAs are small endogenous non-coding RNA molecules capable of regulating gene expression post-transcriptionally through stimulation of mR...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Scott M MacKenzie Lara A Birch Stelios Lamprou Parisa Rezvanisanijouybari May Fayad Maria-Christina Zennaro Eleanor Davies Source Type: research
Genetic variants in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system: Impact on cancer risk, prognosis, and therapeutic directions
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:165-220. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.12.002. Epub 2024 Jan 8.ABSTRACTAlthough renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is known to maintain blood pressure and electrolyte balance, it has recently been linked to a number of biological processes such as angiogenesis, tumorigenesis, metastasis, and cellular proliferation, increasing the risk of cancer development and progression. Multiple genetic variants have been found to affect the genes encoding RAAS components, altering gene transcription and protein expression. This review provides an up-to-date insight into the role of RAAS in carcinogenesis, as wel...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Muhammad T Abdel Ghafar Aya A Helmy Source Type: research
Adaptive remodeling of the stimulus-secretion coupling: Lessons from the 'stressed' adrenal medulla
Vitam Horm. 2024;124:221-295. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2023.05.004. Epub 2023 Jun 8.ABSTRACTStress is part of our daily lives and good health in the modern world is offset by unhealthy lifestyle factors, including the deleterious consequences of stress and associated pathologies. Repeated and/or prolonged stress may disrupt the body homeostasis and thus threatens our lives. Adaptive processes that allow the organism to adapt to new environmental conditions and maintain its homeostasis are therefore crucial. The adrenal glands are major endocrine/neuroendocrine organs involved in the adaptive response of the body facing stressful...
Source: Vitamins and Hormones - February 26, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Nathalie C Gu érineau Source Type: research
