has_part cortisol
Cortisol is ___MASK88___ steroid hormone , in the glucocorticoid class of hormones , and is produced in humans by the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex within the adrenal gland . It is released in response to stress and low ___MASK30___ - ___MASK44___ concentration . It functions to increase ___MASK30___ sugar through gluconeogenesis , to suppress the immune system , and to aid in the metabolism of fat , protein , and carbohydrates . It also decreases bone formation . Hydrocortisone ( INN , USAN , BAN ) is ___MASK88___ name for cortisol when it is used as ___MASK88___ medication . Hydrocortisone is used to treat people who lack adequate naturally generated cortisol . It is on the World Health Organization ' s List of Essential Medicines needed in ___MASK88___ basic health system . ___MASK88___ steroid is an organic compound with four rings arranged in ___MASK88___ specific configuration . Examples include the dietary lipid cholesterol , the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone and the anti - inflammatory drug dexamethasone . Steroids have two principal biological functions : certain steroids ( such as cholesterol ) are important components of cell membranes which alter membrane fluidity , and many steroids are signaling molecules which activate steroid hormone receptors . Vitamin ___MASK100___ refers to a group of ___MASK73___ - soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium , iron , ___MASK53___ , phosphate , and zinc . In humans , the most important compounds in this group are vitamin ___MASK100___ ( also known as cholecalciferol ) and vitamin ___MASK100___ ( ergocalciferol ). Cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol can be ingested from the diet and from supplements . Very few foods contain vitamin ___MASK100___ ; synthesis of vitamin ___MASK100___ ( specifically cholecalciferol ) in the skin is the major natural source of the vitamin . Dermal synthesis of vitamin ___MASK100___ from cholesterol is dependent on sun exposure ( specifically UVB radiation ). The placenta ( also known as afterbirth ) is an ___MASK92___ that connects the developing fetus to the uterine ___MASK85___ to allow nutrient uptake , provide thermo - regulation to the fetus , waste elimination , and ___MASK95___ exchange via the ___MASK89___ ' s blood supply , fight against internal infection and produce hormones to support pregnancy . The placenta provides oxygen and nutrients to growing babies and removes waste products from the baby ' s blood . The placenta attaches to the ___MASK85___ of the uterus , and the baby ' s umbilical cord develops from the placenta . The umbilical cord is what connects the ___MASK89___ and the baby . Placentas are a defining characteristic of placental mammals , but are also found in some non - mammals with varying levels of development . The homology of such structures in various viviparous organisms is debatable , and in invertebrates such as Arthropoda , is analogous at best . Androgen ( from Greek " andro " meaning male ___MASK71___ being ), also called androgenic hormone or testoid , is any natural or synthetic compound , usually ___MASK88___ steroid hormone , that stimulates or controls the development and maintenance of male characteristics in vertebrates by binding to androgen receptors . This includes the activity of the primary male sex organs and development of male secondary sex characteristics . Androgens were first discovered in 1936 . Androgens increase in both boys and girls during puberty . Androgens are also the original anabolic steroids and the precursor of all estrogens . The primary and most well - known androgen is testosterone . Dihydrotestosterone ( DHT ) and androstenedione are less known generally , but are of equal importance in male development . DHT in the embryo life causes differentiation of penis , scrotum and prostate . Later in life DHT contributes to balding , prostate growth and sebaceous gland activity . Although androgens are described as male sex hormones , both males and females have them to varying degrees , as is also true of estrogens . They are ___MASK93___ of three types of sex hormones , the others being estrogens like estradiol and progestogens like progesterone . Glucocorticoids ( GCs ) are ___MASK88___ class of corticosteroids , which are ___MASK88___ class of steroid hormones . Glucocorticoids are corticosteroids that bind to the glucocorticoid receptor ( GR ), that is present in almost every vertebrate animal cell . The name glucocorticoid ( ___MASK44___ + cortex + steroid ) is composed from its role in regulation of ___MASK44___ metabolism , synthesis in the adrenal cortex , and its steroidal structure ( see structure to the right ). A less common synonym is glucocorticosteroid . Mineralocorticoids are ___MASK88___ class of corticosteroids , which are ___MASK88___ class of steroid hormones . Mineralocorticoids are corticosteroids that influence salt and ___MASK41___ balances ( electrolyte balance and fluid balance ). The primary mineralocorticoid is aldosterone , notable for an aldehyde group at the 18 position . The glucocorticoid receptor ( GR , or GCR ) also known as NR3C1 ( nuclear receptor subfamily 3 , ___MASK56___ ___MASK38___ , member 1 ) is the receptor to which cortisol and other glucocorticoids bind . Progestogens , also sometimes spelled progestagens or gestagens , are ___MASK88___ class of steroid hormones that bind to and activate the progesterone receptor ( PR ). Progesterone is the major and most important progestogen in the body , while " progestins " are synthetic progestogens . Major examples of progestins include the 17 - hydroxyprogesterone derivative medroxyprogesterone acetate and the 19 - nortestosterone derivative norethisterone ( norethindrone ). The progestogens are named for their ___MASK16___ in maintaining pregnancy ( i . e ., " progestational "), although they are also present at other phases of the estrous and menstrual cycles . They are one of three types of sex hormones , the others being estrogens like estradiol and androgens / anabolic steroids like testosterone . ___MASK88___ steroid hormone is ___MASK88___ steroid that acts as ___MASK88___ hormone . Steroid hormones can be grouped into two classes : corticosteroids ( typically made in the adrenal cortex , hence " cortico -") and sex steroids ( typically made in the gonads or placenta ). Within those two classes are five types according to the receptors to which they bind : glucocorticoids , mineralocorticoids ( corticosteroids ), androgens , estrogens , and progestogens ( sex steroids ). Vitamin ___MASK100___ derivatives are ___MASK88___ sixth closely related hormone ___MASK72___ with homologous receptors . They have some of the characteristics of true steroids as receptor ligands . ___MASK88___ gonad or sex gland or reproductive gland is an endocrine gland that produces the gametes ( sex cells ) of an ___MASK77___ . In the female of the species the reproductive cells are the egg cells , and in the male the reproductive cells are the sperm . The male gonad , the testicle , produces sperm in the form of spermatozoa . The female gonad , the ovary , produces egg cells . Both of these gametes , are haploid germ cells . Estrogen ( American ___MASK46___ ) or oestrogen ( British ___MASK46___ ) is the primary female sex hormone as well as a medication . It is responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics . " Estrogen " may also refer to any substance , natural or synthetic , that mimics the effects of the natural hormone . The estrane steroid estradiol is the most potent and prevalent endogenous estrogen , although several metabolites of estradiol also have estrogenic hormonal activity . Estrogens are used as medications as part of some oral contraceptives , in hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal , hypogonadal , and transgender women , and in the treatment of certain hormone - sensitive cancers like prostate cancer and breast cancer . They are ___MASK93___ of three types of sex hormones , the others being androgens / anabolic steroids like testosterone and progestogens like progesterone . Corticosteroids are ___MASK88___ class of steroid hormones that are produced in the adrenal cortex of vertebrates , as well as the synthetic analogues of these hormones . Two main classes of corticosteroids , glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids , are involved in ___MASK88___ wide range of physiologic processes , including stress response , immune response , and regulation of inflammation , carbohydrate ___MASK99___ , ___MASK24___ catabolism , ___MASK30___ electrolyte levels , and ___MASK17___ . ___MASK44___ is a simple sugar with the molecular formula CHO . ___MASK44___ circulates in the blood of animals as blood sugar . It is made during photosynthesis from water and ___MASK58___ dioxide , using energy from sunlight . The reverse of the photosynthesis reaction , which releases this energy , is an important source of power for cellular respiration . ___MASK44___ is stored as a polymer , in plants as starch and in animals as glycogen , for times when the organism will need it . Vertebrates comprise all species of animals within the subphylum Vertebrata ( chordates with backbones ). Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata , with currently about 64 , 000 species described . Vertebrates include the jawless ___MASK60___ and the jawed vertebrates , which include the cartilaginous ___MASK60___ ( sharks and rays ) and the bony ___MASK60___ . ___MASK88___ hormone ( from the Greek participle ) is any ___MASK20___ of a class of signaling molecules produced by glands in multicellular organisms that are transported by the circulatory ___MASK72___ to target distant organs to regulate physiology and behaviour . Hormones have diverse chemical structures , mainly of 3 classes : eicosanoids , steroids , and amino acid derivatives ( amines , peptides , and proteins ). The glands that secrete hormones comprise the endocrine signaling ___MASK72___ . The term hormone is sometimes extended to include chemicals produced by cells that affect the same cell ( autocrine or intracrine signalling ) or nearby cells ( paracrine signalling ). Situated along the perimeter of the adrenal gland , the adrenal cortex mediates the stress response through the production of mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids , such as aldosterone and cortisol , respectively . It is also ___MASK88___ secondary site of androgen synthesis . Recent ___MASK1___ suggest that adrenocortical cells under pathological as well as under physiological conditions show neuroendocrine properties ; within the normal adrenal , this neuroendocrine differentiation seems to be restricted to cells of the zona glomerulosa and might be important for an autocrine regulation of adrenocortical function .