Cortisol is a steroid hormone, in the glucocorticoid class of hormones, and is produced in humans by the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex within the adrenal gland.[1] It is released in response to stress and low blood-glucose concentration.

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| (11β)-11,17,21-trihydroxypregn-4-ene-3,20-dione |
| Clinical data | |
|---|---|
| AHFS/Drugs.com | monograph |
| MedlinePlus | a682206 |
| Licence data | US FDA:link |
| Pregnancy category |
AU: A US: C (Risk not ruled out) |
| Legal status |
AU: Pharmacist only UK: POM (Prescription only) US: OTC for topical administration; Rx-only for oral tablets, rectal use and intravenous therapy |
| Routes of administration |
Oral tablets, intravenous, topical, rectal |
| CAS Number | 50-23-7 |
| ATC code | A01AC03 A07EA02 C05AA01 D07AA02 H02AB09 S01BA02 S02BA01 |
| PubChem | CID: 5754 |
| DrugBank | DB00741 |
| ChemSpider | 5551 |
| UNII | WI4X0X7BPJ |
| KEGG | D00088 |
| ChEBI | CHEBI:17650 |
| ChEMBL | CHEMBL389621 |
| Formula | C21H30O5 |
| Molecular mass | 362.460 g/mol |
| SMILES[show] | |
| InChI[show] | |