ESPE Abstracts

Background: We previously found that mast cells are present in the human adult adrenal gland with a possible role in the regulation of aldosterone secretion in both physiological conditions and aldosterone-producing adrenocortical adenomas responsible for primary hyperaldosteronism.Objective and Hypotheses: The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of mast cells in the human fetal adrenal gland, and to provide arguments in favor of the...

Mast cells are known to control mineralocorticoid synthesis and secretion in human normal adrenal gland and aldosterone-producing adenomas through release of serotonin. We recently detected these immune cells in human fetal adrenal from 18 weeks of gestation in the subcapsular layer, in correlation with the expression of steroidogenic enzymes required for aldosterone biosynthesis. This observation suggests the implication of mast cells in the mineralocorticoid synthesizing pat...

Background: We recently demonstrated the presence of mast cells in human fetal adrenal gland from 18–20 weeks of gestation (WG) within the subcapsular layer. In the adult adrenal, mast cells have been implicated in mineralocorticoid synthesis and secretion especially in aldosterone-producing adenomas. Because similarities exist between tumors and normal fetal development and as cell-to-cell interactions involving immune cells are implicated in organogenesis, we hypothesiz...