The hypothalamic peptides, orexin-A and orexin-B, have been implicated in the regulation of feeding behavior. In starved rats catabolic activity quickly predominates, reinforced by elevated corticosterone, independent of ACTH, implicating adrenal activity as a metabolic regulator. In view of these findings, we investigated whether orexin and orexin receptors are present in human adult adrenals ...

Estrogen replacement therapy significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. Previous studies indicate that estradiol (E2) decreases angiotensin II (AT) receptor density in the adrenal and pituitary in NaCl-loaded rats. We used an in vivo model that eliminates the potentially confounding influence of ACTH to determine whether the E2-induced decrease in adrenal ...

The nuclear hormone receptors liver X receptor alpha (LXRalpha) (NR1H3) and LXRbeta (NR1H2) are established regulators of cholesterol, lipid, and glucose metabolism and are attractive drug targets for the treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Adrenal steroid hormones including glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids are known to interfere with glucose metabolism, insulin signaling, a...

Developmental signalling pathways are implicated in the formation and maintenance of the adrenal gland, but their roles are currently not well defined. In recent years it has emerged that Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and Wnt/β catenin signalling are crucial for the growth and development of the adrenal cortex. Here we demonstrate that Fibroblast growth factor receptor (Fgfr) 2 isoforms IIIb and IIIc ar...

CONTEXT The mechanisms of postnatal adrenal zonation remain unclear. OBJECTIVE To provide a clue for a possible role of estrogens in adrenarche, we studied the expression of estrogen receptor (ER)alpha, ERbeta, G protein-coupled receptor (GPR)30, and cP450aromatase (cP450arom) in human adrenal tissue. DESIGN Human adrenal tissue was collected from three postnatal age groups (Grs): Gr 1, you...

Mutations in the orphan nuclear receptor DAX-1 cause X-linked adrenal hypoplasia congenita. Affected boys usually present with primary adrenal failure in early infancy or childhood. Impaired sexual development because of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism becomes apparent at the time of puberty. We report adult-onset adrenal hypoplasia congenita in a patient who presented with hypogonadism at 28 yr ...

What biological processes underlie this “resistance” to cortisol? Because this resistance includes the hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis negative feedback regulatory centers in the brain and pituitary gland, this axis is activated to “overcome” or compensate for the glucocorticoid action defect (Figure 1). The production of hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), arginine-vas...

Li XC, Zhuo JL. In vivo regulation of AT1a receptor-mediated intracellular uptake of [I]Val-ANG II in the kidneys and adrenals of AT1a receptor-deficient mice. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 294: F293–F302, 2008. First published November 28, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00398.2007.—Using type 1a angiotensin receptor (AT1a) receptor-deficient (Agtr1a / ) mice and in vivo autoradiography, we tested the...