Adrenal gland physiology

The uses of corticosteroid antiinflammatory dmgs in veterinary medicine are many and varied. In the intact animal, the glucocorticoids and mineralcorticoids are produced in the adrenal glands. Exogenous compounds are, therefore, used for their glucogenic physiologic effect in cases where the... 

The original commercial source of E was extraction from bovine adrenal glands (5). This was replaced by a synthetic route for E and NE (Eig. 1) similar to the original pubHshed route of synthesis (6). Eriedel-Crafts acylation of catechol [120-80-9] with chloroacetyl chloride yields chloroacetocatechol [99-40-1]. Displacement of the chlorine by methylamine yields the methylamine derivative, adrenalone [99-45-6] which on catalytic reduction yields (+)-epinephrine [329-65-7]. Substitution of ammonia for methylamine in the sequence yields the amino derivative noradrenalone [499-61-6] which on reduction yields (+)-norepinephrine [138-65-8]. The racemic compounds were resolved with (+)-tartaric acid to give the physiologically active (—)-enantiomers. The commercial synthesis of E and related compounds has been reviewed (27). The synthetic route for L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine [59-92-7] (l-DOPA) has been described (28). 

Explain the regulation and physiologic roles of hormones produced by the adrenal glands. 

The adrenal glands are important in the synthesis and regulation of key hormones. They play a crucial role in water and electrolyte homeostatsis, as well as regulation of blood pressure, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, physiologic response to stress, and sexual development and differentiation. This chapter focuses on pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management of the two most common conditions associated... 

Adrenal insufficiency generally refers to the inability of the adrenal glands to produce adequate amounts of cortisol for normal physiologic functioning or in times of stress. The... 

The main physiological effect of histamine is exhibited in the cardiovascular system, nonvascular smooth musculature, and exocrine and adrenal glands. 

Catecholamines produced in the brain and in other neural tissues function as neurotransmitters, but epinephrine and norepinephrine are also hormones, synthesized and secreted by the adrenal glands. Like the peptide hormones, catecholamines are highly concentrated within secretory vesicles and released by exocytosis, and they act through surface receptors to generate intracellular second messengers. They mediate a wide variety of physiological responses to acute stress (see Table 23-6). 

There are many modifications of this method, based on incubation of small fragments of adrenal glands, or on the use of dispersed adrenal cells. Cells are incubated in a physiological buffer. The final solution is gassed with a mixture of 95% O2 and 5% CO2 for 10 min. As with similar methods - for example for pituitary cells or dispersed Leydig cells - there... 

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