Glucocorticoid Hormones in Stress: Physiological and Pharmacological Actions

Abstract

What are the normal functions of the adrenal glucocorticoid hormones? This seemingly simple question has not yet any simple agreed-on answer. In the half-century since the glucocorticoids were distinguished from other cortical steroids, the question of their physiological functions has generated much inconclusive debate. Likewise, questions of their role in disease and therapy lack definitive answers. The authors propose that there is no fundamental distinction between the physiological and pharmacological effects of glucocorticoids and that their inhibitory actions on inflammatory and immune responses are concerned with modulating the body's defense mechanisms.