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Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH; also adrenocorticotropin, corticotropin) is a polypeptide tropic hormone produced by and secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. [1] It is also used as a medication and diagnostic agent .
Glucocorticoid production is stimulated by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) [1], which is released from the anterior pituitary, especially in times of stress as part of the fight-or-flight response. The zona fasciculata also generates a small amount of weak androgens (e.g., dehydroepiandrosterone).
Corticotropes produce and release ACTH, a 39 amino acid peptide hormone, in response to corticotropic releasing hormone (CRH) release from the hypothalamus. CRH is a 41-amino-acid peptide hormone that is secreted by the parvocellular neurosecretory cells, which are found within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. [9]
In humans and other animals, the adrenocortical hormones are hormones produced by the adrenal cortex, the outer region of the adrenal gland. These polycyclic steroid hormones have a variety of roles that are crucial for the body's response to stress (for example, the fight-or-flight response ), and they also regulate other functions in the body.
The secretion of aldosterone is also stimulated by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). [8] The cells of the zona glomerulosa do not express 11β-hydroxylase and 17α-hydroxylase. This is the reason zona glomerulosa cannot synthesize cortisol, corticosterone, or sex hormones . [9]
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulates its release; negative feedback of thyroid hormone inhibits it. Adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulates the adrenal cortex to release corticosteroids. Adrenocorticotropic hormone release is triggered by corticotropin-releasing hormone and inhibited by rising glucocorticoid levels.
The fetal zone produces large amounts of adrenal androgens (male sex hormones) that are used by the placenta for estrogen biosynthesis. [39] Cortical development of the adrenal gland is regulated mostly by ACTH, a hormone produced by the pituitary gland that stimulates cortisol synthesis. [40]
Schematic of the HPA axis (CRH, corticotropin-releasing hormone; ACTH, adrenocorticotropic hormone) Hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal cortex The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis or HTPA axis) is a complex set of direct influences and feedback interactions among three components: the hypothalamus (a part of the brain located below the thalamus), the pituitary gland (a ...