Definition
- Glucocorticoids are adrenocortical steroids, chiefly cortisol, that regulate carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism and suppress inflammation and immunity.
- Cortisol secretion is controlled by the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and shows a circadian rhythm that follows ACTH secretion.
Regulation of Secretion
- CRH (hypothalamus) stimulates ACTH (anterior pituitary) to stimulate cortisol secretion from the adrenal cortex; cortisol negative feedbacks on both to inhibit CRH and ACTH.
- CRH release is driven by limbic, pain-pathway, reticular and suprachiasmatic nucleus inputs.
Circadian (diurnal) variation in cortisol secretion