What is corticotropin-releasing factor

In today's social life, there are always diseases of one kind or another bothering us. Some diseases are well known to us, but there are some diseases we have never even heard of, let alone understand. For some diseases, we can tell where they occur by the literal meaning, but we don’t understand how serious the harm is. The disease is uncommon. So what is corticotropin-releasing factor?

Adrenocorticotropic hormone is abbreviated as ACTH. It is a hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary lobe. It stimulates the development and function of the adrenal cortex. It mainly acts on the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex, stimulating the secretion of glucocorticoids.

Introduction

Adrenocorticotropic hormone is a polypeptide hormone secreted by the pituitary gland of vertebrates. It can promote tissue proliferation of the adrenal cortex and the production and secretion of corticosteroids. The production and secretion of ACTH is directly regulated by hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor. Excessive secretion of corticosteroids can in turn affect the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, weakening their activities. It stimulates the development and function of the adrenal cortex. It mainly acts on the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex, stimulating the secretion of glucocorticoids. When an excess of corticosteroids is injected in vitro, the secretion of ACTH is inhibited and the adrenal cortex atrophies. This is considered essential to induce a state of "stress". ACTH also has the function of regulating antibody production through the adrenal cortex. Has the opposite effect to auxin.

structure

ACTH extracted from the pituitary glands of sharks, frogs, ostriches, and mammals is a trinonapeptide. Obvious structural differences are reflected in the carboxyl-terminal region of the molecule (positions 25-33). The amino acid sequence of its amino-terminal part (positions 1 to 24) is relatively consistent and is the central region of biological activity. Twenty-tetrapeptides of ACTH and its amino-terminal region have been artificially synthesized, and the latter has shown sufficient ACTH activity. In addition to being distributed in the pituitary, ACTH is also found in tissues such as the hypothalamus, adrenal medulla, intestines and placenta. During its biosynthesis, ACTH is converted from opioid peptide-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-corticotropin (POMC for short). ACTH itself can serve as a precursor of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) (see figure). Even in lower invertebrates there are ACTH-like peptides.

Function

The secretion of ACTH is pulsatile and strained, and the frequency and amplitude of its release are related to the circadian rhythm. The general trend is that the ACTH level in the blood peaks before awakening in the early morning and reaches a low point when sleeping soundly in the middle of the night. In stressful situations, such as burns, injuries, poisoning, and when the body is attacked and responds with a warning, the secretion of ACTH increases, which in turn stimulates the release of adrenal cortex hormones and enhances resistance. It can be used medically for anti-inflammation, anti-allergy, etc.

Tropogenic hormones secreted by the pituitary gland:

The hormones secreted by the pituitary gland include thyroid stimulating hormone, gonadotropin, and adrenocorticotropic hormone.

After reading the above introduction to what corticotropin-releasing factor is, I think everyone should have some understanding of it. We should understand and master the knowledge about the disease, clarify whether the disease is benign or malignant, and see how it can help us and how it can harm us. We must take good care of our bodies.