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glucocorticoid (gloo″ko-korĀ“tĭ-koid)   any corticosteroid that increases gluconeogenesis, raising the concentration of liver glycogen and blood glucose; the group includes cortisol, cortisone, and corticosterone. The principal glucocorticoid hormone is cortisol, which regulates metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Many physiologic processes within the body can occur only in the presence of or with the “permission of” the glucocorticoids; for example, the secretion of digestive enzymes by gastric cells and the normal excitability of heart muscle and central nervous system neurons require a certain level of glucocorticoids.




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