Regulation of the Acute Production of Steroids in Steroidogenic Cells*

Abstract

Introduction The steroid hormones constitute a very important class of compounds and are present in most species. The hormones that are synthesized in the adrenal gland, namely the glucocorticoids and the mineralocorticoids, are important for the maintenance of carbohydrate metabolism, stress management, and salt balance. The “male” sex steroids, the androgens, which are responsible for the maintenance of reproductive function and secondary sex characteristics, are also an important member of this family and are synthesized in the testis. Lastly, the “female” sex steroids, the progestins and estrogens, are synthesized in the ovary and the placenta and function to induce secondary sex characteristics and are also essential for reproduction. An additional class of steroids, known as the neuroactive or neural steroids, are synthesized by the central nervous system (CNS) and appear to have specialized functions in this tissue. While neural steroids constitute an extremely interesting class of compounds, they ...