corticotropin
Meaning of corticotropin: Corticotropin release follows a daily pattern and rises further during physical or emotional stress, driving a corresponding rise in cortisol.
Definition of corticotropin
Corticotropin is a hormone produced by the anterior portion of the pituitary gland, a small gland located at the base of the brain. It travels through the bloodstream to the adrenal glands, situated above the kidneys, where it stimulates the outer layer, called the adrenal cortex, to produce and release corticosteroid hormones, including cortisol.
Corticotropin release is itself controlled by a hormone from the hypothalamus, a brain region above the pituitary gland, forming a regulatory pathway that adjusts corticotropin output based on circulating cortisol levels and other signals. Corticotropin release follows a daily rhythm and rises further during periods of physical or emotional stress.
Because corticotropin sits at the center of this hormonal pathway, measuring its blood level, often alongside cortisol, helps distinguish conditions in which the adrenal glands themselves are underactive from conditions in which the pituitary gland is not producing enough corticotropin to stimulate them.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Corticotropin levels were measured alongside cortisol to evaluate the patient's adrenal function.
Good to know
Measuring corticotropin alongside cortisol helps distinguish whether underactive adrenal glands are the primary problem or whether insufficient corticotropin from the pituitary gland fails to stimulate them adequately.
Word origin
Where “corticotropin” comes from
Formed from Latin cortex, meaning bark or outer layer, referring to the adrenal cortex, and the suffix -tropin, from Greek trope, meaning a turning, describing a hormone that acts upon another gland.