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What is cortisol?
Cortisol is a steroid hormone often referred to as the “stress hormone,” but it serves a much more vital role in health regulation.
Cortisol is a glucocorticoid produced and released by the adrenal gland and regulated by the pituitary gland. This crucial hormone regulates physical and psychological processes throughout the body. Most notably, it regulates the body’s stress response and plays a pivotal role in metabolism. Cortisol also works to suppress inflammation, regulate blood pressure and blood sugar, and can affect cognition and emotions. Persistently high or dysregulated cortisol activity can lead to serious illnesses.
What is cortisol modulation?
Cortisol modulation may have the potential to treat a variety of serious diseases directly affected by cortisol dysregulation.
Our decades of extensive research indicate that modulating cortisol’s activity at the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) may provide pathways for treating serious diseases. The binding of cortisol to the GR increases the expression of some genes and reduces others.
With our collaborators, we’re studying the role of cortisol and cortisol modulation across a wide range of disease areas, including endocrinology, oncology, metabolism, and neurology.
Effects of Cortisol on the Body
Cardiovascular System
Control of blood pressure
Central Nervous System
Impact on sleep/wake cycle, mood, and memory
Metabolism
Impact on the conversion of nutrients to energy
Bone
Impact on bone/muscle growth and development
Immune System
Impact on the body’s ability to fight infection and cancer