Table 1.

Metabolic effects of exogenous HPA axis hormones.

Hormone	Application routes (animal model)	Food intake	Body weight/fat and lean mass	Energy expenditure parameters	Glucose balance	Lipid metabolism	Ref.
CORT	In drinking water (mouse)	↑	↑ Body weight ↑ Gonadal WAT mass	↓ Locomotive activity	↑ Insulin ↔ Glucose (after 2 weeks) ↑ Glucose (after 4 weeks)	↑ Blood TG	39
	In drinking water (mouse)	N.D.	↔ Body weight	↔ VO2 ↔ Locomotive activity	↔ GTT ↔ ITT ↔ Insulin	N.D.	43
	In drinking water (mouse)	↑	↑ Body weight ↑ Fat mass ↓ Lean mass	↔ RER	N.D.	N.D.	40
	Via pellet implantation (mouse)	↑	↓ Body weight gain ↑ BAT and WAT mass (↓ UCP-1)	N.D.	↔ Glucose	↑ Blood TG ↑ Liver TG ↔ Blood FFA (a non-significant increase)	41,42
ACTH	s.c. injection (rat)	↓	↓ Body weight	N.D.	↔ Glucose	↔ Blood TG ↔ Blood FFA ↔ Blood Total cholesterol ↔ Blood HDL cholesterol ↑ Blood LDL cholesterol	47,51
CRH	i.c.v. injection (rat)	↓	↓ Body weight ↓ Retroperitoneal and epididymal fat pads	↑ VO2 ↓ RER ↑ Locomotive activity ↑ Sympathetic activity	↔ Glucose	N.D.	8,35,52,53
	PVH injection (rat)	↓	N.D.	N.D.	N.D.	N.D.	54
	LS injection (rat)	↓	↔ Body weight	N.D.	N.D.	N.D.	55

N.D. not determined, see text for abbreviations.