Corticosterone-d8 is intended for use as an internal standard for the quantification of corticosterone by GC- or LC-MS. Corticosterone is a steroid hormone produced in the cortex of the adrenal glands that binds to both glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors.1 It is produced in response to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and is the precursor to aldosterone synthesis.2 Since the production of glucocorticoids is increased by stress, it is often used as a biomarker of stress.3 Plasma corticosterone levels have a circadian variation and corticosterone may be important in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle.4,5

|1. Lu, N.Z., Wardell, S.E., Burnstein, K.L., et al. International Union of Pharmacology. LXV. The pharmacology and classification of the nuclear receptor superfamily: Glucocorticoid, mineralocorticoid, progesterone, and androgen receptors. Pharmacol. Rev. 58(4), 782-797 (2006).|2. Palme, R., Rettenbacher, C., Touma, C., et al. Stress hormones in mammals and birds: Comparative aspects regarding metabolism, excretion, and noninvasive measurement in fecal samples. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1040(21), 162-171 (2005).|3. Goymann, W., M•stl, E., and Gwinner, E. Corticosterone metabolites can be measured noninvasively in excreta of European stonechats (Saxicola torquata rubicola). Auk 119(4), 1167-1173 (2002).|4. VÁzquez-Palacios, G., Retana-MÁrquez, S., Bonilla-Jaime, H., et al. Further definition of the effect of corticosterone on the sleep-wake pattern in the male rat. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 70(2-3), 305-310 (2001).|5. Millspaugh, J.J., Washburn, B.E., Milanick, M.A., et al. Effects of heat and chemical treatments on fecal glucocorticoid measurements: Implications for sample transport. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 31(2), 399-406 (2003).