What are the similarities and differences between adrenaline and cortisol action? One is the acute stress hormone and the the the chronic stress hormone. Please review my comparison to see if I am on the right track:

 

Muscle: adrenaline induces lactate production and glycogenolysis, cortisol induces myolysis.

 

Adipose: both induce lipolysis.

 

Liver: adrenaline induces glycogenolysis, cortisol induces gluconeogenesis from lactate and muscle breakdown.

 

Peripheral insulin resistance: both increases insulin resistance peripherally.

 

It's kinda interesting both antagonises insulin to increase blood sugar level, but adrenaline achieves it using glycogen breakdown primarily while cortisol uses glucogenesis.

What are the similarities and differences between adrenaline and cortisol action? One is the acute stress hormone and the the the chronic stress hormone. Please review my comparison to see if I am on the right track:

 

Muscle: adrenaline induces lactate production and glycogenolysis, cortisol induces myolysis.

 

Adipose: both induce lipolysis.

 

Liver: adrenaline induces glycogenolysis, cortisol induces gluconeogenesis from lactate and muscle breakdown.

 

Peripheral insulin resistance: both increases insulin resistance peripherally.

 

It's kinda interesting both antagonises insulin to increase blood sugar level, but adrenaline achieves it using glycogen breakdown primarily while cortisol uses glucogenesis.

 

If I understand your comparison correctly, adrenaline produces glucose from glycogen through glycogenolysis of liver and muscles cells; whereas, cortisol reverses this effect through glucogenesis, which is the production of glycogen. It appears that adrenaline raises the glucose available to the body while cortisol conserves available glucose through glycogen formation. Essentially, cortisol is an antagonist to the effects of adrenaline. As I understand, insulin counterbalances the extreme effects of glycogenolysis and glycogenesis on our blood sugar levels, which could be hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. Again, if I understand your comments correctly, glucogenesis refers to the increases of glycogen (glucose and oxygen reserves) in the tissues of the body rather than an increase in the level of glucose in our blood. Here's a link, which explains the terms and aspects of the processes we're discussing.

 

Upon review, I see that I'm in error. You are correct, I read gluconeogenesis and glucogenesis as a reference to glycogenesis. Indeed, cortisol does initiate the production of glucose. Apologies, I simply must have my eyes checked soon.

Edited April 14, 20169 yr by DrmDoc

While answering this, I try to remember what I learned from my endocrinology physiology course.

 

Important to note is that glucocorticosteroids have permissive effects on the catecholamines: without gluco's, (nor)adrenalin isn't likely to express its fight-or-flight response. I like to see it as gluco's prepare one for fight-or-flight, whereas catecholamines actually make it happen. This can also be reflected in their half value times:

 

T(1/2)gluco = about 1 h

T(1/2)catechol = about 2 min

 

Catecholamines, indeed, stimulate glycogenolysis, but a long-term effect is stimulation of glycogenesis, by the lactate shuttle thing. If I'm not mistaken, even the catecholamines induce gluconeogenesis (90% in the liver, 10% in the kidneys).

 

Gluco's do induce glycogenesis, but also make gluconeogenesis happen (due to the permissive effect on catecholamines, they promote lipolysis, and NEFA's tend to induce gluconeogenesis).