Langlois Dominique, Li J Yuan, Saez José M
INSERM U-369, Faculté de Médecine Laennec, Université Claude Bernard Lyon, Lyon, France.
J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Dec;15 Suppl 5:1311-22.
The development and function of the primate adrenal cortex are characterized by rapid growth, high steroidogenic activity, and a particular morphological appearance. The fetal adrenal glands grow rapidly and exponentially and at term are similar in weight to adult adrenals. From birth to 1 year their mass is reduced as they undergo a process of differentiation. Growth then remains slow until age 7 years. Thereafter, growth accelerates and the adrenals reach adult weight by the end of puberty. In the first trimester of gestation, fetal adrenal growth is thought to be independent of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), but after 15 weeks, ACTH is absolutely required for normal morphological and functional development. Other factors of fetal and/or placental origin, acting independently of or in conjunction with ACTH, are also required. Basic fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor/transforming growth factor beta, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and -II, all acting in an autocrine and/or paracrine fashion, have been postulated to stimulate fetal adrenal cell proliferation. Corticotropin-releasing hormone may also play an important role in primate fetal adrenal function, primarily at the end of gestation. Finally, the estrogens are also important in the development of the pituitary-adrenal axis in primates.
灵长类动物肾上腺皮质的发育和功能具有快速生长、高类固醇生成活性以及独特的形态外观等特点。胎儿肾上腺迅速且呈指数级生长，足月时其重量与成年肾上腺相似。从出生到1岁，它们的质量会随着分化过程而减少。此后生长一直缓慢，直到7岁。此后，生长加速，肾上腺在青春期结束时达到成年重量。在妊娠的前三个月，胎儿肾上腺的生长被认为独立于促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH），但15周后，正常的形态和功能发育绝对需要ACTH。还需要其他胎儿和/或胎盘来源的因素，它们独立于ACTH或与ACTH共同起作用。碱性成纤维细胞生长因子、表皮生长因子/转化生长因子β以及胰岛素样生长因子（IGF）-I和-II，均以自分泌和/或旁分泌方式起作用，被认为可刺激胎儿肾上腺细胞增殖。促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素在灵长类动物胎儿肾上腺功能中也可能起重要作用，主要在妊娠末期。最后，雌激素在灵长类动物垂体-肾上腺轴的发育中也很重要。
