MINI REVIEW article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Adrenal Endocrinology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1577505
This article is part of the Research TopicEndocrinology, Lipids, and Disease: Unraveling the LinksView all 18 articles
Lipid metabolism in the adrenal gland
Provisionally accepted
Anika Aderhold
Vasileia Ismini Alexaki*- Technische Universität Dresden, Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
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The adrenal gland consists of the medulla and the cortex. The chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla release catecholamines via regulated exocytosis. Vesicle formation, trafficking, maturation and fusion with the plasma membrane are orchestrated by lipids such as cholesterol, diacylglycerol, phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate. On the other hand, the adrenal cortex is a highly specialized lipid-metabolizing organ secreting steroid hormones.Cholesterol, acquired from circulating lipoproteins and de novo biosynthesis, is mobilized from intracellular stores and transported to mitochondria to be used as a substrate for steroidogenesis.Steroidogenesis is regulated by free polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and an increased PUFA content in phospholipids promotes steroidogenesis. Cholesterol efflux and lipid-processing macrophages further contribute to lipid homeostasis in the adrenal gland. Given that lipidomics have revolutionized our perception of cell function, we anticipate that this will also hold true for the investigation of adrenocortical function. Such investigations may pinpoint novel targets for the management of abnormal adrenal function.
Keywords: Lipid Metabolism, Adrenal Cortex, Adrenal Medulla, cholesterol metabolim, Phospholipids, cortisol, Aldosterone
Received: 15 Feb 2025; Accepted: 26 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Aderhold and Alexaki. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Vasileia Ismini Alexaki, Technische Universität Dresden, Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
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