Corticotropin-releasing factor--induced adrenocorticotropic hormone release in the sheep fetus: blockade by cortisol
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Updated: Aug 22, 2026

Instrumentation of Near-term Fetal Sheep for Multivariate Chronic Non-anesthetized Recordings
Published on: October 25, 2015
Abstract:
We administered intravenous injections of synthetic ovine corticotropin-releasing factor to chronically cannulated sheep fetuses and monitored fetal plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol concentrations. The three doses of corticotropin-releasing factor used (10, 100, or 1000 ng X kg-1) increased fetal plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone; fetal plasma cortisol levels rose with the highest dose of corticotropin-releasing factor. Administration of corticotropin-releasing factor at these concentrations did not change fetal heart rate or blood pressure. Elevation of fetal plasma cortisol levels to 40 to 80 ng X ml-1 by infusions of the steroid blocked the adrenocorticotropic hormone responses to all three doses of corticotropin-releasing factor. These data indicate that corticotropin-releasing factor can increase plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone concentrations in the late-gestation fetus and that these increases can be blocked by elevations in fetal plasma cortisol levels within a physiologic range. This suggests that cortisol modulates adrenocorticotropic hormone release by the fetal pituitary gland late in gestation.
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