FURTHER EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE FOR THE FORMATION OF THE ACID HYDROLYZABLE CONJUGATE OF ALDOSTERONE BY THE KIDNEY

Abstract

ABSTRACT A comparison of the plasma levels of the acid-hydrolyzable conjugate (AHC) of aldosterone in nephrectomized and control dogs as well as the conversion of radioactive aldosterone to radioactive AHC by isolated, perfused dog kidneys have confirmed earlier results which showed that AHC can be formed by the kidneys. After the injection of radioactive aldosterone, however, radioactivity was also found in the AHC fraction in plasma of nephrectomized dogs. A comparison of these values with the plasma levels of radioactive AHC in the controls indicates that in dog the kidneys convert about 5–10 times as much aldosterone to AHC as the rest of the body. Formation of AHC by the kidneys could account for the fact that in liver disease the urinary excretion of this metabolite remains at normal or above normal levels.