Aldosterone: Refreshing a Slow Hormone by Swift Action

Brigitte Boldyreff and Martin Wehling Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Clinical Medicine Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer, D-68167 Mannheim, Germany Aldosterone elicits not only genomic effects with physiological consequences within hours or days but also elicits rapid nongenomic effects, such as activation of sodium transport in target cells, within seconds or minutes. Rapid aldosterone effects, which have also been shown in several in vivo studies in humans (e.g., increase in peripheral vascular resistance and blood pressure), are of potential clinical importance.