Author(s)

Xiulan Yang, Yun Zhen, Lian Liu^*

Department of Pharmacology, Medical School of Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.

As an important endocrine organ of the human, the adrenal cortex is responsible for the synthesis of various steroids. It is important to maintain pregnancy, promote fetal growth and nervous system development. Moreover, it is also important for the growth and development of the fetus after birth. Abnormal functional development of the adrenal cortex will induce the abnormal synthesis of steroid hormones and trigger the occurrence of related diseases. In this review, we discuss the morphological and functional development of fetal adrenal cortex and its regulatory factors in humans and rodents.

The Fetal Adrenal Cortex, Steroid Hormones, Growth Factor, Transcription Factor, Placental Hormone

Yang, X. , Zhen, Y. and Liu, L. (2020) The Development and Functional Regulation of the Fetal Adrenal Cortex. Yangtze Medicine, 4, 254-276. doi: 10.4236/ym.2020.44024.