Corticotropin Releasing Factor

Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) is a hypothalamic hormone, which acts on the anterior pituitary to stimulate the secretion of corticotropin, thereby regulating the synthetic/secretory activity of the adrenal cortex. CRF is widely distributed in the central nervous system and in the periphery. In addition to regulating the stress response, the CRF peptides (CRF and the urocortins) have a wide variety of actions in the central nervous system and in the periphery, possibly regulating anxiety, mood, feeding, inflammation, gastric emptying, and blood pressure.