The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Corticosteroids

biologically active tetracyclic compounds manufactured by the adrenal cortex.

More than 40 compounds have been isolated from the adrenals. Eight of these are active, that is, they can reproduce the effect of adrenocortical extract, known as cortine naturelle (first obtained in 1927). Chemically, the active corticosteroids are pregnane derivatives containing the Δ⁴-3-keto- and 20-keto-21 hydroxy groups and with oxygen substitutes at the ¹¹C, ¹⁷C, or ¹⁸C atom. True adrenal hormones include the mineralocorticoid aldosterone, which mostly regulates the metabolism of K+ and Na+ ions; the glucocorticoid hydrocortisone, or cortisol, which regulates carbohydrate metabolism; and corticosterone (17-deoxyhydrocortisone), which performs both of these functions. Cortexone (11-deoxycorticosterone) is a mineralocorticoid. Cortisone is a glucocorticoid. The corticosteroids also participate in the regulation of protein metabolism and fat metabolism. A corticosteroid deficiency results in Addison’s disease. The symptoms of the Itsenko-Cushing syndrome appear when the same hormones are in excess.

The formation, metabolism, and mode of excretion of corticosteroids are species-specific. In the human body, 15–25 mg of hydrocortisone, 1–5 mg of corticosterone, and 0.1–0.2 mg of aldosterone are manufactured daily. In some animals (for example, monkeys, sheep, and guinea pigs) the adrenal cortex produces mainly hydrocortisone. In others (rabbits and rats) it produces mostly corticosterone. Cholesterol is a precursor in the biosynthesis of the corticosteroids. The secretion of corticosteroids is regulated by adrenocorticotropic hormone, which is produced by the pituitary. Some of the corticosteroids in the blood are bound to plasma proteins. They are inactivated in the liver by partial reduction and binding by glucuronic and sulfuric acids. The corticosteroids and their metabolic products are rapidly excreted from the body, mainly with urine.

The corticosteroids are used in substitution therapy and as anti-inflammatory and antiallergic agents in the treatment of many diseases. Synthetic dehydro, hydroxy, halogen, and methyl derivatives of the corticosteroids (prednisone, dexamethazone, triamcinolone, Synalar) have also found practical application, since they are much more active biologically and produce fewer side effects.

REFERENCES

Iudaev, N. A. Biokhimiia steroidnykh gormonov kory nadpochechnikov. Moscow, 1956.
Komissarenko, V. P. Gormony kory nadpochechnikov i ikh roV vfiziologicheskikh i patologicheskikh protsessakh organizma. Kiev, 1956.
Fieser, L., and M. Fieser. Steroidy. Moscow, 1964. (Translated from English.)

M. A. KREKHOVA

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References in periodicals archive

Allergic contact dermatitis from corticosteroids: reproducibility of patch testing and correlation with intradermal testing.

Frequency of allergic contact dermatitis in hand eczema patients with European standard and corticosteroid series

Corticosteroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a serious complication of systemic corticosteroid administration for treatment of autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), nephrotic syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The effect of postoperative corticosteroid administration on free vascularized fibular grafting for treating osteonecrosis of the femoral head

There was no history of trauma, systemic corticosteroid therapy, alcohol abuse, diabetes mellitus, transplantation, hyperlipidemia, significant hyperuricemia or hyperparathyroidism.

Osteonecrosis of the humeral head after intra-articular corticosteroid injections in a patient receiving dialysis/Hemodiyaliz tedavisi alan bir hastada intraartikuler kortikostreoid enjeksiyonu sonrasi gelisen omuz osteonekrozu

Predicting how people will respond to corticosteroid therapy could significantly reduce the suffering of many patients, Wenzel said.

New method identifies which asthma patients respond to systemic corticosteroids

reported three cases of post-herpetic neuralgia getting benefit from streptomycin-lidocaine injections.22 These beneficial effects of streptomycin are due to inhibition of release of acetylcholine at the nerve endings and neuronal stabilisation.21,22 Moreover, side effect of streptomycin injection is minimal and pain caused by solution deposition is decreased by adding local anaesthetic to solve.22 This led us to believe that streptomycin should be used with corticosteroids and lignocaine to effectively relieve sympthomatic painful conditions.

Localized Injection of Streptomycin, Kenacort and Lidocaine combination for Symptomatic Pain Management of Knee Osteoarthritis

To our knowledge, in Pakistan limited data is available regarding the options for effective management of AC, therefore we designed this study to compare the IA corticosteroid versus physiotherapy in the management of AC in terms of mean pain score.

INTRA-ARTICULAR CORTICOSTEROIDS VERSUS PHYSIOTHERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS

Two RCTs of 173 patients gave low-quality evidence to show no difference between corticosteroids and NSAIDs in the rate of treatment response in the short term(relative risk, 1.07; 95 percent CI, 0.80-1.44; moderate heterogeneity P=15,12=53 percent).

For acute gout corticosteroids look safer than NSAIDs

As per the demographic data obtained, out of the total 187 inpatients who were prescribed with corticosteroids, 41.7% (n = 78) were male patients, and 58.3% (n = 109) were female patients (Figure 1).

Prescribing pattern of corticosteroids among the dermatology inpatients in a tertiary care teaching hospital of north India - A retrospective, observational study

Westcott, "Corticosteroids in Ocular Syphilis," Ophthalmology, vol.

Repeat Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant for Refractory Cystoid Macular Edema in Syphilitic Uveitis

Corticosteroid use is the most common cause of ONFH, and the stage at diagnosis was earlier than those in other groups.[1] There is an obvious dose-duration-response relationship between corticosteroids and ONFH, although it is disputable.

Corticosteroid-induced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head: Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment in Earlier Stages

"Our study finds that antenatal (before birth) corticosteroids given to pregnant women only hours before delivery were associated with a survival advantage for their infants", says Mikael Norman, lead author, neonatologist and professor at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.

Corticosteroid treatment increases survival of preterm infants within hours

Corticosteroids have been demonstrated to cause local vasoconstriction and skin blanching followed by rebound vasodilation, and the observed skin changes can be evidence of corticosteroid bioavailability.

Transient vasospastic response following the injection of corticosteroid into the hand