The cortical portion of the adrenals secretes hormones of the corticoid (or corticosteroid) group, derived from cholesterol: glucocorticoid, mineralocorticoids and cortical sex hormones.
The glucocorticoids are cortisol and cortisone. The glucocorticoids stimulate the formation of glucose from the degradation of proteins of the muscle tissue (gluconeogenesis) and so they help to increase glycemia. These hormones play an important immunosuppressant role, i.e., they reduce the action of the immune system and for this reason they are used as medicine to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and rejection of transplanted organs.
The mineralocorticoids aldosterone and deoxycorticosterone regulate the sodium and potassium blood concentration and thus they control the water level of the extracellular space. Aldosterone increases the sodium resorption and thus the water resorption in the renal tubules and it also stimulates the renal excretion of potassium and hydrogen.
The adrenal cortical sex hormones are androgens, male sex hormones present in men and women. In men their main site of production is the testicle and they promote the appearance of secondary male sex characteristics, like body hair and beard, deep voice, the male pattern of fat distribution and maturation of the genitalia. If abnormally high in women they cause inhibited maturation of the female genitalia and disturbances of the menstrual cycle.
