Human adrenocortical organoids for tissue regeneration and disease modeling

The adrenal glands are essential endocrine organs that secrete key hormones maintaining physiological homeostasis. Herein, we established expandable three-dimensional (3D) human adrenocortical organoid (ACO) cultures that preserved the characteristic of zona fasciculata cell lineages and retained their capacity to produce cortisol. The ACOs could secrete glucocorticoids in response to physiological stimuli and thus rescue adrenalectomized mice, indicating their potential for the treatment of primary adrenal insufficiency. Furthermore, by introducing a hotspot pathogenic variant (PRKACA L206R) identified in Cushing's syndrome, we achieved the organoid disease modeling of cortisol-producing adenomas. In summary, this study establishes a human organoid platform to explore homeostasis and dysfunction in adrenal glands, suggesting future applications in disease modeling and regenerative medicine.

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Publication Details

Journal
Stem Cell Reports
Published
2025-10-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102679
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Renal and related cancers
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.61
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article

Human adrenocortical organoids for tissue regeneration and disease modeling

Xiao‐Feng Gong, Nicole Bechmann, Xuewen Li, Yanting Shen et al.
2 citations
Stem Cell Reports
Renal and related cancers
1.61
article

Human adrenocortical organoids for tissue regeneration and disease modeling

Xiao‐Feng Gong, Nicole Bechmann, Xuewen Li, Yanting Shen, Yiming Zhang, Qing Li, Xiaoyu Li, Wei Chen, Bingbing Zhao, Jingjing Jiang, Zhiqiang Lu, Yujun Liu, Shuang Wu
article en
2 citations

Abstract

The adrenal glands are essential endocrine organs that secrete key hormones maintaining physiological homeostasis. Herein, we established expandable three-dimensional (3D) human adrenocortical organoid (ACO) cultures that preserved the characteristic of zona fasciculata cell lineages and retained their capacity to produce cortisol. The ACOs could secrete glucocorticoids in response to physiological stimuli and thus rescue adrenalectomized mice, indicating their potential for the treatment of primary adrenal insufficiency. Furthermore, by introducing a hotspot pathogenic variant (PRKACA L206R) identified in Cushing's syndrome, we achieved the organoid disease modeling of cortisol-producing adenomas. In summary, this study establishes a human organoid platform to explore homeostasis and dysfunction in adrenal glands, suggesting future applications in disease modeling and regenerative medicine.

Stem Cell ReportsVol. 20(11)
Nanchang University (CN), Sun Yat-sen University (CN), Fudan University (CN), First Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi Medical College (CN), Zhongshan Hospital (CN), The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University (CN), Viva Biotech (China) (CN), University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus (DE), First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University (CN), Technische Universität Dresden (DE)
Openalex Percentile: Top 14%
Renal and related cancers
1.61
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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