Editing Corticosteroid (section)

==Biosynthesis==
[[Image:Steroidogenesis.png|right|thumb|450px|class=skin-invert-image|[[Steroidogenesis]], including corticosteroid biosynthesis.]]

The corticosteroids are synthesized from [[cholesterol]] within the [[adrenal cortex]].<ref name=NusseySaffron2001 /> Most steroidogenic reactions are catalysed by [[enzyme]]s of the [[cytochrome P450]] family. They are located within the [[mitochondria]] and require [[adrenodoxin]] as a cofactor (except [[21-hydroxylase]] and [[17α-hydroxylase]]).{{cn|date=June 2024}}

[[Aldosterone]] and [[corticosterone]] share the first part of their biosynthetic pathway. The last part is mediated either by the [[aldosterone synthase]] (for [[aldosterone]]) or by the [[11β-hydroxylase]] (for [[corticosterone]]). These enzymes are nearly identical (they share 11β-hydroxylation and 18-hydroxylation functions), but aldosterone synthase is also able to perform an 18-oxidation. Moreover, aldosterone synthase is found within the [[zona glomerulosa]] at the outer edge of the [[adrenal cortex]]; 11β-hydroxylase is found in the [[zona fasciculata]] and [[zona glomerulosa]].{{cn|date=June 2024}}