ArticleBMC medicine2018
The human fetal adrenal produces cortisol but no detectable aldosterone throughout the second trimester.
Article in BMC medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04613583 (Normal Development of the Human Fetus and the Influences and Mechanisms by Which That Development Occurs and is Perturbed), which is not on this map. Cited by 23 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Normal Development of the Human Fetus and the Influences and Mechanisms by Which That Development Occurs and is Perturbed
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- Elevation of corticosterone and 17OH progesterone in extremely preterm infants and clinical implications.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Placental nanoparticle-mediated IGF1 gene therapy corrects fetal growth restriction in a guinea pig model.Gene therapy · 2025Article
- The Fetal Environment and the Development of Hypertension-The Epigenetic Modification by Glucocorticoids.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Generation of glucocorticoid-producing cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells.Cell reports methods · 2023Article
- Factors of Fetal Origin in the Regulation of Labor Initiation and Preterm Birth.Maternal-fetal medicine (Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.) · 2023Article
- An integrated single-cell analysis of human adrenal cortex development.JCI insight · 2023Article
- Development and function of the fetal adrenal.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2023Review
- Dexamethasone affects human fetal adrenal steroidogenesis and subsequent ACTH response in anFrontiers in endocrinology · 2023Article
- Reconstitution of human adrenocortical specification and steroidogenesis using induced pluripotent stem cells.Developmental cell · 2022Article
- Maternal exposure to ambient black carbon particles and their presence in maternal and fetal circulation and organs: an analysis of two independent population-based observational studies.The Lancet. Planetary health · 2022Observational
- The maternal-placental-fetal interface: Adaptations of the HPA axis and immune mediators following maternal stress and prenatal alcohol exposure.Experimental neurology · 2022Review
- Circadian rhythms as modulators of brain health during development and throughout aging.Frontiers in neural circuits · 2022Review
- The effects of selected inhibitors on human fetal adrenal steroidogenesis differs under basal and ACTH-stimulated conditions.BMC medicine · 2021Article
- Six Decades of Research on Human Fetal Gonadal Steroids.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Sexual Dimorphism of Corticosteroid Signaling during Kidney Development.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Longitudinal study on steroid hormone variations during the second trimester of gestation: a useful tool to confirm adequate foetal development.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Article
- Early pregnancy maternal progesterone administration alters pituitary and testis function and steroid profile in male fetuses.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Zone-specific reference ranges of fetal adrenal artery Doppler indices: a longitudinal study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2020Article
- Directing differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells toward androgen-producing Leydig cells rather than adrenal cells.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2019Article
- Characterization of Human Adrenal Steroidogenesis During Fetal Development.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHuman fetal adrenal glands are highly active and, with the placenta, regulate circulating progesterone, estrogen and corticosteroids in the fetus. At birth the adrenals are essential for neonate salt retention through secretion of aldosterone, while adequate glucocorticoids are required to prevent adrenal insufficiency. The objective of this study was to carry out the first comprehensive analysis of adrenal steroid levels and steroidogenic enzyme expression in normal second trimester human fetuses.
methodsThis was an observational study of steroids, messenger RNA transcripts and proteins in adrenals from up to 109 second trimester fetuses (11 weeks to 21 weeks) at the Universities of Aberdeen and Glasgow. The study design was balanced to show effects of maternal smoking.
resultsConcentrations of 19 intra-adrenal steroids were quantified using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Pregnenolone was the most abundant steroid while levels of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) and progesterone were also high. Cortisol was present in all adrenals, but aldosterone was undetected and Δ
conclusionsThe human fetal adrenal gland produces cortisol but very low levels of Δ
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.