Synthetic glucocorticoids stimulate the production of corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) by the liver of the sheep fetus near term (day 145). We have examined whether physiological changes in plasma cortisol alter plasma CBG concentrations, patterns of glycosylation and the amount of hepatic CBG mRNA at earlier times during pregnancy (day 100), prior to the activation of fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function. Cortisol was infused into chronically catheterized sheep fetuses in amounts that raised the plasma cortisol concentration by about 15 nmol/l. This treatment resulted in a significant increase in the plasma corticosteroid-binding capacity and in the amount of CBG mRNA in the fetal liver, but did not alter the proportion of CBG retained using Concanavalin A chromatography. We conclude that the CBG gene in the liver of fetal sheep responds to physiological changes in plasma concentration of cortisol and we speculate that the rise in plasma CBG concentration is important in diminishing the negative feedback effect of circulating cortisol on the fetal pituitary and hypothalamus.
Journal of Endocrinology (1994) 140, 425–430
Journal of Endocrinology is committed to supporting researchers in demonstrating the impact of their articles published in the journal.
The two types of article metrics we measure are (i) more traditional full-text views and pdf downloads, and (ii) Altmetric data, which shows the wider impact of articles in a range of non-traditional sources, such as social media.
More information is on the Reasons to publish page.
| Sept 2018 onwards | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Text Views | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Downloads | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Online ISSN: 1479-6805
Print ISSN: 0022-0795
Strengthening biomedical communities
to advance science and health
CONTACT US
Bioscientifica Ltd | Starling House | 1600 Bristol Parkway North | Bristol BS34 8YU | UK
Bioscientifica Ltd | Registered in England no 3190519
