STUDIES ON HUMAN ADRENAL STEROIDS: 1. THE EFFECT OF CORTICOTROPIN ON COMPONENTS OF THE FREE AND CONJUGATED PLASMA C2l ADRENAL STEROID FRACTIONS

Abstract

The free and conjugated adrenal steroid fractions of peripheral plasma from12 normal human males were studied. Specimens were withdrawn before and after the administration of corticotropin. Hydrocortisone was identified chemically and some evidence was obtained for the presence of corticosterone. Hydrocortisone levels showed a marked but variable increase after corticotropin treatment. In some cases the administration of corticotropin resulted in the appearance of an unconjugated compound which may have been a tetrahydro derivative of cortisone or hydrocortisone. A method for studying the conjugated fraction was developed and preliminary data indicated that four components were present in some specimens after hydrolysis with β-glucuronidase. The level of these conjugates appeared to increase after treatment with corticotropin. In general, the response to a given dose of corticotropin showed considerable individual variation in the plasma levels of the components of both the free and conjugated corticosteroid fractions.