Adrenocortical Function and Cortisol Metabolism in Old Age

West, Charles D.; Brown, Harold; Simons, E. L.; Carter, D. E.; Kumagai, Lindy F.; Englert, Edwin

doi:10.1097/00132586-196310000-00035

Cited by 22 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Importantly, results from a recent study demonstrates an increased glucocorticoid production and an altered cortisol metabolism in women with AD [29]. This is in contrast to a marked fall in the glucocorticoid production in parallel with a decrease in glucocorticoid clearance in healthy elderly [30]. Unaltered or slightly increased circulating cortisol levels in AD may thus be associated with a substantial increase in tissue-specific exposure to glucocorticoids, notably in the hippocampus [29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Increased Levels of Adrenocortical and Gonadal Hormones in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease

Rasmuson¹,

Näsman²,

Carlström

et al. 2002

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hormonal changes during normal aging include decreasing levels of gonadal hormones and adrenal androgens. These hormones influence multiple nervous functions, including cognition and mood. Related to this, abnormalities at several levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) have been reported in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We studied steroid hormones in 33 patients with mild to moderate AD (12 men; 21 women, 76.4 ± 7.8 years) and 22 healthy elderly controls (10 men; 12 women, 75.4 ± 7.5 years old, respectively). Basal levels of serum cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and androstenedione were significantly increased in AD patients. Women with AD had significantly higher levels of DHEA and androstenedione. Serum estradiol levels were non-significantly increased in women with AD. After adjustment for age and BMI women with AD had significantly increased levels of androstenedione and DHEA. Increased gonadal hormone levels in mild to moderate AD may reflect an increased secretion, and/or alterations in metabolism of these hormones. This may influence the symptomatology and progression of the disease.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Increased Levels of Adrenocortical and Gonadal Hormones in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease

Rasmuson¹,

Näsman²,

Carlström

et al. 2002

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A majority of studies have shown that basal circulating levels of cortisol [248-266 and references therein] do not vary significantly with aging in humans. These analyses included the varying gender population as well as the health status of subjects with some using samples from males only [248,249,256,[260][261][262], others employing both men and women [252][253][254][255]257,259,262,265], some from subjects classified as 'normal healthy' [248,249,256,[260][261][262], and others from hospitalized patients [251,252,257,262]. Few studies have reported decreased [267,268], or increased [269][270][271][272][273] cortisol levels.…”

Section: Humansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Aging on Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis and Secretion

Zaidi¹

2013

TOLSJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Steroid hormones are lipophilic, low-molecular weight organic compounds all of which are derived from cholesterol. They are primarily synthesized by steroidogenic glands such as gonads (ovary and testis), the adrenal gland and, during pregnancy, by the placental trophoblasts. Limited steroid synthesis also takes place in the brain. Steroid hormones are crucial for the proper functioning of the body. They mediate a wide variety of vital physiological functions, ranging from maintaining normal reproductive function and secondary sexual characteristics, to regulating virtually every metabolic process in the body. Like many age-related endocrine disorders, aging also progressively impacts the tissue-specific synthesis and secretion of steroid hormones. The goal of this review is to summarize the effects of aging on steroid hormone synthesis and secretion by the adrenal gland and gonads of both human and experimental animal models, to describe the potential involvement of excessive oxidative stress in mediating age-related alterations in steroidogenesis, and to discuss the possible underlying mechanisms involved.

show abstract

“…It may be assumed that the reduced plasma concentrations of corticoste rone and aldosterone we observed in old rats very likely reflect a decrease in their rates of production, since their rate of removal from the blood circulation had been found either to be unchanged [14][15][16] or reduced [ 17,18], but never increased in relation to aging.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Age-Related Decreases in Plasma Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Corticosterone, and Aldosterone Responses to Exogenous Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone in the Rat

Brudieux¹,

Chaoui²,

Rakotondrazafy³

1995

Gerontology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Age-related changes in plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone, and aldosterone responses to exogenous corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) were studied concomitantly in both old and adult Long-Evans female rats. All animals were pretreated with dexamethasone and pento-barbital anesthetized. An acute intravenous injection of 1 µg rat CRH/100g body weight markedly increased the plasma concentrations of ACTH, corticosterone, and aldosterone – with similar temporal kinetics in the two groups of rats. However, the incremental CRH responses were significantly lower in old (approximately –70,–45–60, and –30–50%, respectively, for ACTH, corticosterone, and aldosterone) as compared with adult rats. Together with our recent findings, the present results suggest that the previously reported reduced secretion of corticosteroids in aged rats is due to both an impaired steroidogenetic capacity of adrenocortical cells to respond to ACTH and to a decreased ability of corticotropes to produce ACTH in response to CRH.

show abstract

Adrenocortical Function and Cortisol Metabolism in Old Age

Cited by 22 publications

References 0 publications

Increased Levels of Adrenocortical and Gonadal Hormones in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease

Increased Levels of Adrenocortical and Gonadal Hormones in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease

Impact of Aging on Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis and Secretion

Age-Related Decreases in Plasma Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Corticosterone, and Aldosterone Responses to Exogenous Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone in the Rat

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About