Endocrine Abstracts

In humans, adrenarche represents a unique endocrine process manifest by the development of the adrenal zonal reticularis and its production of a group of steroids often called the ‘adrenal androgens’. The physiologic manifestations of adrenarche are reflected by enhanced dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) production and the onset of adult body odor, mild acne and axillary and/or pubic hair. Clinically, the early rise in adrenal androgens is termed premature adre...

In humans, adrenarche represents a unique endocrine process manifest by the development of the adrenal zonal reticularis and its production of a group of steroids often called the ‘adrenal androgens’. The physiologic manifestations of adrenarche are reflected by enhanced dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) production and the onset of adult body odor, mild acne and axillary and/or pubic hair. Clinically, the early rise in adrenal androgens is termed premature adre...

Many organs are functionally sexually dimorphic, resulting in profound differences in the activity of several physiological systems, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The rodent HPA axis matures post-weaning, characterized by parallel increments in adrenal weight, adrenal cortical size and corticosterone secretion. Between postnatal days (PND) 30 to 45, these parameters increase to a greater extent in females compared to males. Over this same interval, h...

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare aggressive cancer with poor survival. Adjuvant mitotane is the only approved drug for treatment of ACC. It improves survival but its use is limited by poor tolerability and drug resistance. For metastatic ACC, combination chemotherapy, using mitotane and etoposide, doxorubicin, and cisplatin improves survival, but efficacy is limited. Better understating the cytotoxic mechanisms of mitotane offers potential to develop improved therapeut...

The adrenal cortex synthesizes glucocorticoids that are essential for metabolic homeostasis and modulation of immune responsiveness. Glucocorticoid-producing cells, located in the zona fasciculata (zF), constitute the critical effector of the HPA axis that serves to mediate the mammalian stress response. Dysregulation of glucocorticoid function results in significant morbidity with complete deficiency being incompatible with life. While the zF is composed of heterogenous cell ...