hydrocortisone Biochem. and Pharm.
(haɪdrəʊˈkɔːtɪzəʊn)
[f. hydro- + cortisone.]
A steroid hormone, C21H30O5, which is produced by the adrenal cortex and involved in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism, and which is prepared synthetically for use as an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic agent.
| 1951 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 22 Dec. 1631 Hydro⁓cortisone acetate had a constant anti-inflammatory effect on the rheumatoid arthritic joint when administered locally. 1952 Ibid. 27 Dec. 1664/2 One eye was treated with cortisone while the more severely involved eye was treated with hydrocortisone. 1953 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. LXXV. 5369/1 We have isolated a fungus..which converts Compound S directly to the biologically active steroid, 17α-hydroxycorticosterone (Kendall's Compound F, hydrocortisone, Reichstein's Compound M). 1963 Lancet 19 Jan. 142/1 Hydrocortisone has revolutionised the treatment of itching skin diseases. 1965 New Scientist 1 July 32/3 The glucocorticoids, of which cortisone and hydrocortisone (cortisol) are the principal members, are..mainly concerned with carbohydrate metabolism. 1967 Martindale's Extra Pharmacopoeia (ed. 25) 448 Hydro⁓cortisone is administered by mouth and by intramuscular injection and it is applied externally in ointments, creams, and lotions. 1970 R. W. McGilvery Biochem. xxiii. 565 The most active of the glucocorticoids in humans is cortisol, or hydrocortisone. |