TY - JOUR
T1 - Aging of the human adrenal cortex.
AU - Hornsby, Peter J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Original work from this laboratory reviewed here was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging (AG12287 and AG13663) and from the Ellison Medical Foundation.
PY - 2004/9/1
Y1 - 2004/9/1
N2 - The most striking age-related change in the human adrenal cortex is the decline in secretion of dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate, steroids synthesized by the inner zone of the cortex, the zona reticularis. Because these steroids are of essentially unknown function, the importance of this age-related change is the subject of considerable debate. It is likely that the age-related change in these steroids results from loss of zona reticularis cells or impairment of their function. During aging, cumulative damage to the zona reticularis could occur through ischemia-related infarcts and other causes of cell death. Cellular senescence could contribute to a loss of the ability of the tissue to replace lost cells. In contrast, feedback mechanisms that regulate adrenocortical growth cause compensatory local tissue hyperplasias called nodules. The effect of imperfect repair of damage combined with compensatory overgrowth in the form of nodules leads to an increasingly abnormal tissue architecture.
AB - The most striking age-related change in the human adrenal cortex is the decline in secretion of dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate, steroids synthesized by the inner zone of the cortex, the zona reticularis. Because these steroids are of essentially unknown function, the importance of this age-related change is the subject of considerable debate. It is likely that the age-related change in these steroids results from loss of zona reticularis cells or impairment of their function. During aging, cumulative damage to the zona reticularis could occur through ischemia-related infarcts and other causes of cell death. Cellular senescence could contribute to a loss of the ability of the tissue to replace lost cells. In contrast, feedback mechanisms that regulate adrenocortical growth cause compensatory local tissue hyperplasias called nodules. The effect of imperfect repair of damage combined with compensatory overgrowth in the form of nodules leads to an increasingly abnormal tissue architecture.
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U2 - 10.1126/sageke.2004.35.re6
DO - 10.1126/sageke.2004.35.re6
M3 - Review article
C2 - 15342924
AN - SCOPUS:21644442482
SN - 1539-6150
VL - 2004
SP - re6
JO - Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE
JF - Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE
IS - 35
ER -