“…In steroidogenic disorders like Cushing's disease (hypercortisolism) or Addison's disease (hypocortisolism), the overproduction or underproduction of 11-deoxycortisol is generally accompanied by drastic changes in cortisol concentrations, which imposes challenges to delineate the 11-deoxycortisol-specific effects. 9 In this study, by correlating steroids profile with immunological parameters in two large cohorts of healthy volunteers, we described a strong association of 11-deoxycortisol, but not cortisol, with adaptive immune traits (mainly lymphoid cell numbers and function), which was robust and reproducible. Importantly, integration of in vivo findings with in vitro validation experiments supports the immunoregulating property of 11-deoxycortisol by promoting T-cell replication and Th17 polarization.…”