Figure 2.

Synthesis of adrenocortical steroids. The 3 main adrenocortical steroids (aldosterone, cortisol, and dihydroepiandrostendione sulphate) are shown in circles, while precursor steroids and metabolites are shown in rectangles. Bold borders mark steroids analyzed in this study. Cortisol and 11-deoxycortisol define residual glucocorticoid production and are marked in red. Aldosterone and corticosterone define residual mineralocorticoid production and are marked in blue. Red and blue arrows mark the enzymatic reactions for activation of cortisol and aldosterone, respectively. Cortisone is both a metabolite and precursor of cortisol and is marked in yellow.