The pituitary gland is the master which regulates body hormones. From corticotrophs of anterior gland, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) secreted and influences corticosterone production in rodents via hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis). ACTH are frequently used as a hormonal marker stress level. Disturbance were observed many diseases especially Addison’s disease, Cushing’s syndr...

Purpose. The interaction of hormones of the pituitary-adrenal axis and adrenal cortex-associated circulating microRNAs is mostly unknown. We have studied the effects of dexamethasone and adrenocorticotropin on the expression of five circulating microRNAs (hsa-miR-27a, hsa-miR-200b, hsa-miR-214, hsa-miR-483-5p, and hsa-miR-503) reported to be related to the adrenal cortex in plasma samples. Meth...

To clarify the physiological role of placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), we measured plasma CRH, ACTH, and cortisol throughout pregnancy. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) CRH levels and ACTH responsiveness to synthetic CRH were also quantified in pregnant and nonpregnant women. Maternal plasma CRH levels, which increased progressively during pregnancy, correlated well with both ACTH and c...

An overview of the links between the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis and psychiatric disorders is presented. The current treatments are outlined, indicating that they are insufficient to meet the needs of those that suffer from these affective disorders. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the generation of new therapeutics, in particular, against new targets. The association of th...

Psychiatric disorders such as depressive disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder are a major disease burden worldwide and have a higher incidence in women than in men. However, the underlying mechanism responsible for the sex-dependent differences is not fully understood. Besides environmental factors such as traumatic life events or chronic stress, genetic variants contribute to the develo...

Rats repeatedly exposed to restraint show a reduced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response upon restraint re-exposure. This hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response habituation to restraint does not generalize to other novel stressors and is associated with a decrease in stress-induced c-fos expression in a number of stress-reactive brain regions. We examined whether habituation to re...

Glucocorticoids released from the adrenal gland in response to stress-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis induce activity in the cellular reduction-oxidation (redox) system. The redox system is a ubiquitous chemical mechanism allowing the transfer of electrons between donor/acceptors and target molecules during oxidative phosphorylation while simultaneously maint...

The pineal gland is a complex neuroendocrine organ which is under photoneuroendocrine control. Previous studies in animals and humans have suggested reciprocal variations in pineal melatonin biosynthesis and adrenal glucocorticoid output; it remains unclear, however, whether a causal relationship exists between these two systems. To address this question, we examined the overnight secretory act...

CONTEXT There is a central belief that depression is associated with hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, resulting in higher cortisol levels. However, results are inconsistent. OBJECTIVE To examine whether there is an association between depression and various cortisol indicators in a large cohort study. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Data are from 1588 participants...

Opiates and cocaine both have effects on adrenal and gonadal function. Opiates suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, whereas cocaine leads to HPA activation. Opiates also cause gonadal dysfunction in both men and women. During withdrawal from opiates and cocaine, the HPA axis is activated which may reinforce relapse behavior. This review describes these hormonal effects and ex...