Adrenocorticoid hormones

Steroids, compounds with a cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene skeleton (15), include a wide range of natural products such as sterols (e.g., cholesterol), sex hormones, adrenocorticoid hormones, cardiac glycosides and vitamin D [31]. Sterols are steroids having a hydroxyl group at position 3 of the basic skeleton. Steroids can be found both in plants and in animals. 

Adrenocorticoid hormones are produced in the adrenal glands. They regulate a variety of metaholic processes. The most important mineralo-corticoid is aldosterone, an aldehyde as well as a ketone, which regulates the reahsorption of sodium and chloride ions in the kidney, and increases the loss of potassium ions. Aldosterone is secreted when hlood sodium ion levels are too low to cause the kidney to retain sodium ions. If sodium levels are elevated, aldosterone is not secreted, so some sodium will he lost in the urine and water. Aldosterone also controls swelling in the tissues. 

Comparative trials of the steroid precursor adrenocorticoid hormone (ACTH) and high-dose intravenous steroids suggest that steroids produce a quicker and more predictable improvement in acute exacerbations. Although the reasons for this are not entirely clear, differences between agents may be due to the variable adrenal secretion... 

Steroids comprise four groups cholesterol, adrenocorticoid hormones, sex hormones, and bile acids. 

Cholesterol is an essential component of cell membranes and is a precursor for other important steroids, including bile salts, male and female sex hormones, vitamin D, and the adrenocorticoid hormones (Section 8.10). Cholesterol for use in these important functions is synthesized in the liver. Additional amounts of cholesterol are present in the foods... 

A number of steroids in the body serve important roles as hormones. The two major categories of steroid hormones are the adrenocorticoid hormones and the sex hormones. 

Name the two groups of adrenocorticoid hormones, give a specific example of each group, and explain the function of those compounds in the body. 

Bile salts, sex hormones, and adrenocorticoid hormones. Cell membranes. 

Since rheumatoid arthritis was (and is) a grave and crippling disease, with a h h Incidence, there was a tremendous incentive to provide cortisone by an efficient synthetic technique. Sarett, among others, had been working on the partial synthesis of adrenocorticoid hormones, and in 1946 he achieved the first synthesis of cortisone. The cortisone for the Hench-Kendall clinical experiment was prepared at Merck based on synthetic methods devised by Sarett and by KendaU and his co-workers. The starting material was deoxycholic acid, which was readily available from bovine... 

The adrenocorticoid hormones, such as cortisol (Figure 21.25c), are synthesized in the adrenal glands (glands that lie next to each kidney) and are involved in various regulatory functions. 

It is the compound from which sex hormones, adrenocorticoid hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D are synthesized. Thus, cholesterol is, in a sense, the parent steroid. 

Cholesterol is a white, water-insoluble, waxy solid found in blood plasma and in all animal tissues. This substance is an integral part of human metabolism in two ways (1) It is an essential component of biological membranes. The body of a healthy adult contains approximately 140 g of cholesterol, about 120 g of which is present in membranes. Membranes of the central and peripheral nervous systems, for example, contain about 10% cholesterol by weight. (2) It is the compound from which sex hormones, adrenocorticoid hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D are synthesized. Thus, cholesterol is, in a sense, the parent steroid. 

Figure 22.16 Steroids. In mammals, male and female sex hormones are steroids. Oral contraceptives are synthetic steroids. AnaboUc steroids increase muscle mass. Adrenocorticoid hormones such as cortisone have amazing anti-inflammatory properties. Hundreds of steroid-based drugs are available by prescription in the United States. 

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