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- Abstract: adrenarche x
- Abstract: fertility x
- Abstract: Gender x
- Abstract: Hypogonadism x
- Abstract: infertility x
- Abstract: Kallmann x
- Abstract: Klinefelter x
- Abstract: menarche x
- Abstract: menopause x
- Abstract: puberty x
- Abstract: transsexual x
- Abstract: sperm* x
- Abstract: ovary x
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- Adrenal x
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The overproduction of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), in conditions such as Cushing’s disease and congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), leads to significant morbidity. Current treatment with glucocorticoids does not adequately suppress plasma ACTH, resulting in excess adrenal androgen production. At present, there is no effective medical treatment in clinical use that would directly block the action of ACTH. Such a therapy would be of great clinical value. ACTH acts via a highly selective receptor, the melanocortin-2 receptor (MC2R) associated with its accessory protein MRAP. ACTH is the only known naturally occurring agonist for this receptor. This lack of redundancy and the high degree of ligand specificity suggest that antagonism of this receptor could provide a useful therapeutic strategy in the treatment of conditions of ACTH excess. To this end, we screened an extensive library of low-molecular-weight drug-like compounds for MC2R antagonist activity using a high-throughput homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence cAMP assay in Chinese hamster ovary cells stably co-expressing human MC2R and MRAP. Hits that demonstrated MC2R antagonist properties were counter-screened against the β2 adrenergic receptor and dose–response analysis undertaken. This led to the identification of a highly specific MC2R antagonist capable of antagonising ACTH-induced progesterone release in murine Y-1 adrenal cells and having selectivity for MC2R amongst the human melanocortin receptors. This work provides a foundation for the clinical investigation of small-molecule ACTH antagonists as therapeutic agents and proof of concept for the screening and discovery of such compounds.
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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NIHR Health Protection Research Unit on Chemical Radiation Threats and Hazards, Imperial College London, London, UK
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NIHR Health Protection Research Unit on Chemical Radiation Threats and Hazards, Imperial College London, London, UK
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
Mohn Centre for Children’s Health and Wellbeing, Imperial College London, London, UK
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NIHR Health Protection Research Unit on Chemical Radiation Threats and Hazards, Imperial College London, London, UK
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NIHR Health Protection Research Unit on Chemical Radiation Threats and Hazards, Imperial College London, London, UK
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
Mohn Centre for Children’s Health and Wellbeing, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Context
Salivary androgens represent non-invasive biomarkers of puberty that may have utility in clinical and population studies.
Objective
To understand normal age-related variation in salivary sex steroids and demonstrate their correlation to pubertal development in young adolescents.
Design, setting and participants
School-based cohort study of 1495 adolescents at two time points for collecting saliva samples approximately 2 years apart.
Outcome measures
The saliva samples were analyzed for five androgens (testosterone, androstenedione (A4), 17-hydroxyprogesterone, 11-ketotestosterone and 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione) using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; in addition, salivary dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and oestradiol (OE2) were analysed by ELISA. The pubertal staging was self-reported using the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS).
Results
In 1236 saliva samples from 903 boys aged between 11 and 16 years, salivary androgens except DHEA exhibited an increasing trend with an advancing age (ANOVA, P < 0.001), with salivary testosterone and A4 concentration showing the strongest correlation (r = 0.55, P < 0.001 and r = 0.48, P < 0.001, respectively). In a subgroup analysis of 155 and 63 saliva samples in boys and girls, respectively, morning salivary testosterone concentrations showed the highest correlation with composite PDS scores and voice-breaking category from PDS self-report in boys (r = 0.75, r = 0.67, respectively). In girls, salivary DHEA and OE2 had negligible correlations with age or composite PDS scores.
Conclusion
In boys aged 11–16 years, an increase in salivary testosterone and A4 is associated with self-reported pubertal progress and represents valid non-invasive biomarkers of puberty in boys.
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Despite the availability of adrenal hormone replacement therapy, patients with adrenal insufficiency can be affected by reduced fertility and parity. Patients with well-managed adrenal insufficiency are expected to have uneventful pregnancies and favourable outcomes, but an increased risk of maternal and neonatal complications has been reported in some cases. Many physiological changes occur to the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis during pregnancy, often making a new diagnosis and management of adrenal insufficiency challenging. The management of adrenal insufficiency also needs to reflect the physiologic changes of pregnancy, often requiring increased doses of glucocorticoid as pregnancy progresses and in some circumstances mineralocorticoid replacement (in primary adrenal insufficiency patients only), especially in the third trimester. To date, there are no prospective data guiding management of adrenal insufficiency in pregnancy. In this review, we focus on the impact of adrenal insufficiency on fertility and parity based on the aetiology of adrenal insufficiency and provide a practical approach to the management of patients with adrenal insufficiency before and during pregnancy.
