What's the difference between a glucocorticoid and a mineralocorticoid?

What's the difference between a glucocorticoid and a mineralocorticoid in terms of when one is used as opposed to the other (eg. hydrocortisone vs methylprednisolone) and what is the expected difference contained by patient/clinical response? Please help!
Answers:
Mineralocorticoids
The name mineralocorticoid derives from early observations that these hormones be involved in the retention of sodium, a mineral. The primary endogenous mineralocorticoid is aldosterone, although a number of other endogenous hormones (including progesterone and deoxycorticosterone) have mineralocorticoid function.

Aldosterone act on the kidneys to provide active reabsorption of sodium and an associated passive reabsorption of water, as capably as the active secretion of potassium in the principal cells of the cortical collecting tubule and busy secretion of protons via proton ATPases in the lumenal membrane of the intercalated cells of the collecting tubule. This in turn results surrounded by an increase of blood pressure and blood volume.


Glucocortiocoids
Glucocorticoids (GC) are a class of steroid hormones that bind to the glucocorticoid receptor, which is present in almost every vertebrate animal cell.

GCs are part of the feedback mechanism surrounded by the immune system that turns immune activity (inflammation) down. They are therefore used in tablets to treat diseases that are caused by an overactive immune system, such as allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases and sepsis. GCs have many diverse (pleiotropic) effects, including potentially poisonous side effects. They also interfere with some of the abnormal mechanisms surrounded by cancer cells, so they are used in high doses to treat cancer.
glucocorticoids hold complex effects that increase blood sugar, lower immunity, and cause a breakdown of protein. They also supress glucocoticoid synthesis by feedback inhibition in the brain.

mineralcorticoids conserve sodium, minus it electrolyte balance goes out and leads to passing.

Now as to comparison of activity, if hydrocortisone actions as antiinflamatory (considered an index of glucocorticoid effects) and sodium retaining ability (mineral activity) are respectively set to 1 in value then:

methylprednisolone have 5 and 0.5 respectively.

for another comparison, fludrocortisone is rated at 10 and 125.

Duration of action Hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone are short (half life 8 to 12 hrs) and Methylprednisolone is intermediate(12 to 36 hr partially life)

see a good physiology text, another source is the Merck Manual now free online:

http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec12/ch153/ch… Source(s): Goodman and Gilman's Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 6th edition, page 1482.

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