Aldosterone

Aldosterone plays a significant role in the multi-factorial regulation of salt, potassium, blood pressure, and acid-base balance. It is also involved in maternal volume expansion during fetal development to support fetal perfusion and may contribute to the increased expression of placental growth factors. While its primary activity is associated with the kidney, aldosterone can also interact with mineralocorticoid receptors in other tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory epithelium, myocardium, and vascular smooth muscle. Aldosterone antagonists or mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) can be beneficial for patients with various clinical conditions, including primary aldosteronism (PA), primary and resistant hypertension, heart failure (HF), and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Aldosterone has been used:

• as a RPMI-1640 medium supplement for podocyte culture to test its pathogenicity in obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG)
• in combination with salt to induce renal injury in mice
• to stimulate primary liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) and in the generation of hyperaldosteronism model in mice

The d-isomer of aldosterone is considered to be the biologically active isomer.

Aldosterone is a biologically active aldosterone isomer; a mineralocorticoid produced by the adrenal cortex. It induces urinary excretion of K⁺ and renal reabsorption of Na⁺. It is produced from adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and is essential for maintaining sodium homeostasis in the distal tubules. Aldosterone binds to the mineralocorticoid receptor and may modulate vascular system and induce kidney damage. It contributes to the progression of chronic kidney disease(CKD). Aldosterone is part of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS).

Exists as an equilibrium mixture of the aldehyde and the hemiacetal.