Life Science Encyclopedia

The Zona reticularis is the innermost layer of the adrenal cortex, which is the outer portion of the adrenal gland, a gland found above the kidneys (which is why it is also known as the suprarenal gland). The adrenal gland produces norepinephrine and epineprhine (known as adrenaline in British nomenclature, hence the gland's name) in the adrenal medulla. Within the cortex, the gland produces mineralocorticoids such as aldosterone in the outermost zona glomerulosa (regulating salt balance), glucocorticoids such as cortisol in the middle zona fasciculata (regulating carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism), and androgens such as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is an important sex hormone in females. The zona reticularis lies beneath the zona fasciculata and above the adrenal medulla, and its cells are arranged in a network of cords (a reticulum).^[1][2]