{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,19]],"date-time":"2026-10-19T10:47:00Z","timestamp":1792406820328,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Bioscientifica","issue":"1","content-domain":{"domain":["journals.bioscientifica.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Iron deficiency (ID) impairs adrenocortical function, yet its underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that ID suppresses steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR)-mediated adrenocortical steroidogenesis. In dietary ID mice, deferoxamine-treated mice, and H295R cells, mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid hormone production was significantly reduced. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that ID-induced suppression of steroidogenesis was primarily associated with StAR downregulation, which was reversed by iron supplementation. Mechanistically, ID activated the ERK signaling pathway, leading to reduced StAR expression. Pharmacological inhibition of ERK restored both StAR protein levels and steroidogenic output. Collectively, our findings suggest that the ERK\u2013StAR axis represents a potential regulatory pathway associated with ID-induced adrenocortical hypofunction.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1530\/joe-26-0235","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T09:11:06Z","timestamp":1791450666000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/crossmarkpolicy-5","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Iron deficiency impaired StAR-mediated steroidogenesis"],"prefix":"10.1530","volume":"271","author":[{"given":"Xin-Yuan","family":"Cui","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Endocrinology, Sichuan-Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Metabolic Vascular Diseases, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine in Major Metabolic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University 1 , ,","place":["Chongqing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-9503-0985","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Lin-Qiang","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Endocrinology, Sichuan-Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Metabolic Vascular Diseases, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine in Major Metabolic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University 1 , ,","place":["Chongqing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jin-Bo","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Endocrinology, Sichuan-Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Metabolic Vascular Diseases, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine in Major Metabolic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University 1 , ,","place":["Chongqing, 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Endocrinology, Sichuan-Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Metabolic Vascular Diseases, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine in Major Metabolic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University 1 , ,","place":["Chongqing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qing-Lian","family":"Zeng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Endocrinology, Sichuan-Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Metabolic Vascular Diseases, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine in Major Metabolic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University 1 , ,","place":["Chongqing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chuan","family":"Peng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Endocrinology, Sichuan-Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Metabolic Vascular Diseases, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine in Major Metabolic Diseases, the 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Medicine in Major Metabolic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University 1 , ,","place":["Chongqing, China"]},{"name":"Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Sichuan-Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Metabolic Vascular Diseases, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University 2 , ,","place":["Luzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yun-Jie","family":"Xiong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Endocrinology, Sichuan-Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Metabolic Vascular Diseases, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine in Major Metabolic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University 1 , ,","place":["Chongqing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ru-Fei","family":"Gao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University 3 , ,","place":["Chongqing, 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