Adrenocorticoids

Adrenocorticoid suppression may occur, so replacement therapy with hydrocortisone may be required. Other side effects include rash (which usually resolves in 5-8 days), lethargy, and anorexia. 

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. 

The naturally occurring mineralocorticosteroid is aldosterone. Its release is not ACTH dependent but is stimulated under control of the renin-angiotensin system. Aldosteron is not in clinical use because of its short halflife (20 min). Fludrocortisone is a synthetic analogue with considerably more potent mineralocorticoid than glucocorticoid activity. It is used as substitution therapy in adrenocorticoid insufficiency and in low-renin hypoaldosteronism. It is well absorbed orally and its effects last 1-2 days. 

Drug-induced adrenocorticoid insufficiency maybe minimized bygradual systemic dosage reduction relative insufficiency may exist for up to 1 yr after discontinuation... 

STEROID HORMONES ADRENOCORTICOIDS (ADRENAL STEROIDS)—OVERVIEW... 

However, broadly steroids can be classified only in to two main classes sex or reproductive hormones and adrenocorticoid or adrenocortical hormones. 

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. 

Adrenocorticoids, glucocorticoid, mineralocorticoid, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, corticotropin... 

The androgenic, anabolic, uterotropic, antioestrogenic, gestagenic, glucocorticoid, antiinflammatory, mineralocorticoid, antimineralocorticoid and adrenocorticoid activity of silatranes has been studied59. ... 

The adrenocorticoids bind to specific intracellular cytoplasmic receptors in target tissues. The receptor-hormone complex then translocates into the nucleus where it acts as a transcription factor to turn genes on or off, depending on the tissue. This mechanism requires time to produce an effect. There are other glucocorticoid effects, such as their requirement for catecholamine-mediated dilation of vascular and bronchial musculature or lipolysis, whose effects are immediate. The bases for these actions are unknown. 

Some normal actions and some selected mechanisms of adrenocorticoids are described in this section. Understanding these actions aids the reader in better comprehending the results of adrenal insufficiency and the uses of adrenocorticoids as therapeutic agents in a variety of disorders. 

Late-onset adrenal hyperplasia Cushing s syndrome Virilizing adrenal tumors Adrenocorticoid insufficiency Thyroid disorders Hypothyroidism Hyperthyroidism Pituitary disorders... 

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