Mineralocorticoid

: A corticosteroid (as aldosterone) that affects chiefly the electrolyte and fluid balance in the body.

Mineralocorticoid is a hormone that is one of the steroids of the adrenal cortex that influences the metabolism of sodium and potassium. Glucocorticoids exert their regulatory effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis via two types of corticosteroid receptors: the glucocorticoid receptor and the mineralocorticoid receptor. Whereas the glucocorticoid receptor has a broad distribution in the brain, highest levels of mineralocorticoid receptor are found in the hippocampus. Dysfunction of mineralocorticoid receptors and glucocorticoid receptors are thought to be implicated in stress-related psychiatric diseases such as major depression.

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