Endocrine Abstracts

Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) transports sex steroids (androgens and estrogens) in the blood and regulates their access to tissues. In humans and other vertebrates, the liver produces the SHBG that circulates in the blood, and in most species the gene encoding SHBG is also expressed in the testis. The testicular cell types in which SHBG is produced vary between species; in most mammals, expression of the Shbg gene in Sertoli cells gives rise to a secreted protein ...

Inherited CBG deficiencies are rarely reported and only 3 causative mutations in 4 families have been described. The objective of this study was to investigate a family with potential CBG deficiency.The index case, a 29-year-old female of Pakistani origin with consanguineous parents, presented with hirsutism and a slightly elevated 17-OHP. In a subsequent Short Synacthen Test (SST) 17-OHP was normal but serum cortisol (SerC) values were abnormal (case 1 ...

Introduction: Corticosteroid Binding Globulin (CBG) binds >85% of plasma cortisol and modulates free cortisol levels. Observations in vitro show that CBG is cleaved by neutrophil elastase (NE), a mechanism proposed to reduce CBG binding affinity and increase free cortisol availability to inflamed tissues. However, detection of cleaved CBG in vivo in human plasma is controversial, and any influence of NE on CBG cleavage has not been tested in vivo...