Cited by 379Adrenal Hormones and DisordersBirth, Development, and HealthEstrogen and related hormone effects

Development and function of the human fetal adrenal cortex: a key component in the feto-placental unit

Open access
Ishimoto, Hitoshi, Jaffe, Robert B.·2011·Endocrine Reviews

Abstract

Continuous efforts have been devoted to unraveling the biophysiology and development of the human fetal adrenal cortex, which is structurally and functionally unique from other species. It plays a pivotal role, mainly through steroidogenesis, in the regulation of intrauterine homeostasis and in fetal development and maturation. The steroidogenic activity is characterized by early transient cortisol biosynthesis, followed by its suppressed synthesis until late gestation, and extensive production of dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate, precursors of placental estrogen, during most of gestation. The gland rapidly grows through processes including cell proliferation and angiogenesis at the gland periphery, cellular migration, hypertrophy, and apoptosis. Recent studies employing modern technologies such as gene expression profiling and laser capture microdissection have revealed that development and/or function of the fetal adrenal cortex may be regulated by a panoply of molecules, including transcription factors, extracellular matrix components, locally produced growth factors, and placenta-derived CRH, in addition to the primary regulator, fetal pituitary ACTH. The role of the fetal adrenal cortex in human pregnancy and parturition appears highly complex, probably due to redundant and compensatory mechanisms regulating these events. Mounting evidence indicates that actions of hormones operating in the human feto-placental unit are likely mediated by mechanisms including target tissue responsiveness, local metabolism, and bioavailability, rather than changes only in circulating levels. Comprehensive study of such molecular mechanisms and the newly identified factors implicated in adrenal development should help crystallize our understanding of the development and physiology of the human fetal adrenal cortex.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1210/er.2010-0001

Cites

413 of 413 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

11 of the 424 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Ishimoto, H., & Jaffe, R. B.
Affiliations
  • Tokai University (JP)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
Venue
Endocrine Reviews
Published
2010-11-04
Volume
32
Issue
3
Pages
317-355
ISSN
  • 0163-769X (ISSN-L)
  • 1945-7189
OpenAlex
W1969689856
Cited by
379
References
424
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 15
FWCI
1.82
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Endocrine Reviews (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (F32HD008478, HD-08478)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Estrogen and related hormone effects
Keywords
fetal adrenal cortex, adrenal development, steroidogenesis, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, placental estrogens, fetoplacental unit, fetal development, ACTH, corticotropin-releasing factor, adrenal growth, apoptosis, gene expression profiling, laser capture microdissection, pregnancy, childbirth
MeSH terms
Adrenal Cortex, Female, Humans, Placenta, Pregnancy, Neovascularization, Physiologic, Parturition, Fetal Development

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review