Department of Population Health and Reproduction, VM-PHR, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA.
J Endocrinol. 2012 Aug;214(2):121-31. doi: 10.1530/JOE-11-0467. Epub 2012 Feb 29.
Adrenarche is most commonly defined as a prepubertal increase in circulating adrenal androgens, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfo-conjugate (DHEAS). This event is thought to have evolved in humans and some great apes but not in Old World monkeys, perhaps to promote brain development. Whether adrenarche represents a shared, derived developmental event in humans and our closest relatives, adrenal androgen secretion (and its regulation) is of considerable clinical interest. Specifically, adrenal androgens play a significant role in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovarian disease and breast and prostate cancers. Understanding the development of androgen secretion by the human adrenal cortex and identifying a suitable model for its study are therefore of central importance for clinical and evolutionary concerns. This review will examine the evidence for adrenarche in nonhuman primates (NHP) and suggest that a broader definition of this developmental event is needed, including morphological, biochemical, and endocrine criteria. Using such a definition, evidence from recent studies suggests that adrenarche evolved in Old World primates but spans a relatively brief period early in development compared with humans and some great apes. This emphasizes the need for frequent longitudinal sampling in evaluating developmental changes in adrenal androgen secretion as well as the tenuous nature of existing evidence of adrenarche in some species among the great apes. Central to an understanding of the regulation of adrenal androgen production in humans is the recognition of the complex nature of adrenarche and the need for more carefully conducted comparative studies and a broader definition in order to promote investigation among NHP in particular.
肾上腺功能初现大多被定义为一种青春期前的循环肾上腺雄激素、脱氢表雄酮（DHEA）及其硫酸结合物（DHEAS）的增加。这一事件被认为在人类和一些大型猿类中进化而来，但在旧世界猴中没有，也许是为了促进大脑发育。尽管肾上腺功能初现代表了人类和我们最亲近的亲属之间共同的、衍生的发育事件，但肾上腺雄激素的分泌（及其调节）具有相当大的临床意义。具体来说，肾上腺雄激素在多囊卵巢疾病、乳腺癌和前列腺癌的病理生理学中起着重要作用。因此，了解人类肾上腺皮质雄激素的分泌发育，并确定其研究的合适模型，对于临床和进化方面都是至关重要的。这篇综述将检查非人类灵长类动物（NHP）肾上腺功能初现的证据，并建议需要更广泛的定义，包括形态、生化和内分泌标准。使用这样的定义，最近的研究证据表明，肾上腺功能初现是在旧世界灵长类动物中进化而来的，但与人类和一些大型猿类相比，它在发育早期的相对较短时期内发生。这强调了在评估肾上腺雄激素分泌的发育变化时需要频繁的纵向采样，以及在一些大型猿类中，肾上腺功能初现的现有证据的脆弱性。理解人类肾上腺雄激素产生的调节的关键是认识到肾上腺功能初现的复杂性质，以及需要进行更仔细的比较研究和更广泛的定义，以促进特别是在 NHP 中的研究。
