Fig. 2: Crosstalk between steroid endocrine system and immune system.

Hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal/gonad/placenta axes regulate glandular steroidogenesis. Endocrine gland-secreted steroid hormones regulate immune-cell function. Interestingly, immune cells by themselves can synthesize steroids locally to control their own function in an autocrine and paracrine manner. A crosstalk between endocrine system and immune system exists via secretory signaling molecules. The topic needs to be revisited and further studied with modern tools and technologies. (Figure created with BioRender.com).