What does corticotrophin mean?
Corticotrophin is the hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland that prompts the adrenal cortex to release cortisol and related corticosteroids. More formally known as adrenocorticotrophic hormone, or ACTH, it sits near the top of the body's stress-response cascade: the hypothalamus releases corticotrophin-releasing hormone, the pituitary responds by secreting corticotrophin, and the adrenal glands then produce the cortisol that mobilises energy and regulates inflammation. Measuring blood corticotrophin is therefore a key diagnostic tool for distinguishing pituitary disorders from adrenal disorders, such as differentiating causes of Addison's disease or Cushing's syndrome. The word is technical in register, appearing almost exclusively in medical and physiological contexts, and is spelled 'corticotropin' in American usage. Its etymology reflects its function: it combines terms relating to the adrenal 'bark' (cortex) with the Greek root for nourishment or stimulation.
nounA hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland that stimulates the adrenal cortex to release cortisol; it is more fully called adrenocorticotrophic hormone or ACTH.
- A polypeptide hormone released by the anterior pituitary that stimulates the adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol and other corticosteroids.
"The patient's corticotrophin levels were elevated despite high circulating cortisol."
"Blood tests showed abnormally low corticotrophin, pointing to a problem in the pituitary rather than the adrenal glands."
"Synthetic corticotrophin was once widely used to test how well the adrenal glands responded to hormonal stimulation."
Rarely used in the plural, since it denotes a single specific hormone; the plural appears mainly when referring to related variants or preparations.
"Early commercial preparations contained mixtures of corticotrophins extracted from animal pituitaries."
Its initials are ACTH — one of the oldest hormone abbreviations in medicine — and its name literally means 'that which nourishes the bark' of the adrenal gland.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of corticotrophin
Corticotrophin was coined in twentieth-century scientific English as a contraction of adrenocorticotrophic hormone, reflecting its action on the adrenal cortex. The element 'cortico-' derives from Latin 'cortex', meaning bark or rind, describing the outer layer of the adrenal gland, while '-trophin' comes from the Greek 'trophē', meaning nourishment, a suffix used for hormones that stimulate growth or activity in target organs. The same Greek root gives English words such as atrophy and dystrophy. American practice shortened the '-trophin' ending to '-tropin', yielding the variant corticotropin.
How corticotrophin is actually used
A technical term confined to endocrinology and physiology. British usage favours 'corticotrophin', while American medical texts typically use the variant 'corticotropin'; both refer to the identical hormone.
Easily confused with corticotrophin
Cortisol is the steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex, whereas corticotrophin is the pituitary hormone that signals the adrenal glands to make cortisol.
Corticosterone is a glucocorticoid secreted by the adrenal cortex, while corticotrophin is a pituitary peptide hormone upstream of that secretion.