Synthesized from cholesterol in the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex, FTP, identify this corticosteroid hormone often referred to as the "stress hormone".
Its metabolism is controlled by the 11-beta HSD system, which uses NADPH and NAD+ to convert it to and from its precursor.  Though it can weaken the immune system by rendering interleukin-2 unresponsive to interleukin-1 in T-cell formation, it also inhibits loss of sodium in the small intestine and stimulates hepatic detoxification by mobilizing arachidonic acid to induce cytochrome P-450.  An abundance of this hormone results in Cushing's disease, while a lack of it can result in Addison's disease.  Synthesized from cholesterol in the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex, FTP, identify this corticosteroid hormone often referred to as the "stress hormone".
Its metabolism is controlled by the 11-beta HSD system, which uses NADPH and NAD+ to convert it to and from its precursor.  
cortisol