Objective To comprehensively characterize androgens and androgen precursors in classic 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) and to gain insight to the mechanisms of their formation. Design Serum samples were obtained from 38 patients (19 men) with classic 21OHD, age 3-59, and 38 sex- and age-matched controls; 3 patients with 11β-hydroxylase deficiency; 4 patients with adrenal insufficiency; and 16 patients (8 men) undergoing adrenal vein sampling. Paraffin-embedded normal (n=5) and 21OHD adrenal tissue (n=3) was used for immunohistochemical studies. Methods We measured 11 steroids in all sera using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Immunofluroescence localized 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (HSD3B2) and cytochrome b5 (CYB5A) within the normal and 21OHD adrenals. Results Four 11-oxygenated 19-carbon (11oxC19) steroids were significantly higher in male and female 21OHD patients than in controls: 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione, 11-ketoandrostenedione 11β-hydroxytestosterone, and 11-ketotestosterone (3-4-fold, p< 0.0001). For 21OHD patients, testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone were positively correlated in females, but inversely correlated in males. All 11oxC19 steroids were higher in adrenal vein than in inferior vena cava samples from men and women and rose with cosyntropin stimulation. Only trace amounts of 11oxC19 steroids were found in sera from patients with 11β-hydroxylase deficiency and adrenal insufficiency, confirming their adrenal origin. HSD3B2 and CYB5A immunoreactivities were sharply segregated in the normal adrenal glands, whereas areas of overlapping expression were identified in the 21OHD adrenals. Conclusions All four 11oxC19 steroids are elevated in both men and women with classic 21OHD. Our data suggest that 11oxC19 steroids are specific biomarkers of adrenal-derived androgen excess.

Measurement of 16OHP and 11OHP along with 17OHP and 21dF by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry might comprise a biomarker panel to accurately diagnose all forms of 21OHD.

Objective We performed a multicenter study of preterm infants, who were about to undergo patent ductus arteriosus ligation, to determine if echocardiographic indices of impaired myocardial performance were associated with subsequent development of catecholamine-resistant hypotension following ligation. Study Design A standardized treatment approach for hypotension was followed at each center. Infants were considered to have catecholamine-resistant hypotension if their dopamine infusion was >15 µg/kg/min. Echocardiograms and cortisol measurements were obtained between 6 and 14 hours after the ligation (prior to the presence of catecholamine-resistant hypotension). Results 45 infants were enrolled: 10 received catecholamines (6 were catecholamine-responsive, 4 developed catecholamine-resistant hypotension). Catecholamine-resistant hypotension was not associated with decreased preload, shortening fraction or ventricular output. Infants with catecholamine-resistant hypotension had significantly lower levels of systemic vascular resistance and postoperative cortisol concentration. Conclusion We speculate that low cortisol levels and impaired vascular tone may play a more important role than impaired cardiac performance in post-ligation catecholamine-resistant hypotension.

Background/Aims: The pathogenesis of obesity-associated hypertension is poorly understood. Serum cortisol-to-cortisone ratio (F/E ratio) is a marker of cortisol metabolism. Our objective was to determine whether the serum F/E ratio is associated with blood pressure (BP) in patients after significant weight loss ( ≥ 15% from baseline weight). Methods: Sera from 43 nondiabetic, severely obese males participating in a weight management program were assayed for F and E by mass spectrometry. We assessed whether changes in the F/E ratio accompanying weight loss correlate with changes in the systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP). Linear regression was used to evaluate change in the F/E ratio as a predictor of change in BP. Results: The body mass index decreased from 40.8 ± 5.6 to 33.7 ± 4.8 (p < 0.001); also, SBP (133.2 ± 13.8 vs. 124.1 ± 14.3 mm Hg; p < 0.001) and DBP (69.8 ± 8.0 vs. 66.6 ± 9.4 mm Hg; p = 0.026) decreased during the study. The baseline F/E ratio tended to associate with baseline DBP (Spearman's r = -0.29, p = 0.06), and change in the serum F/E ratio correlated with change in DBP (Spearman's r = -0.32, p = 0.036). Change in the F/E ratio also tended to associate with change in SBP (Spearman's r = -0.27, p = 0.08). A multiple linear regression model adjusted for change in the F/E ratio and age explained 22% of the variance in SBP change (R 2 = 0.22, p = 0.007). Change in the F/E ratio independently predicted change in SBP (p = 0.036). Conclusion: In our sample of nondiabetic, severely obese males, change in the serum F/E ratio was associated with change in BP after weight loss.

Androgen and estrogen biosynthesis in mammals requires the 17,20-lyase activity of cytochrome P450 17A1 (steroid 17-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase). Maximal 17,20-lyase activity in vitro requires the presence of cytochrome b5 (b5), and rare cases of b5 deficiency in human beings causes isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency. To study the consequences of conditional b5 removal from testicular Leydig cells in an animal model, we generated Cyb5flox/flox:Sf1-Cre (LeyKO) mice. The LeyKO male mice had normal body weights, testis and sex organ weights, and fertility compared with littermates. Basal serum and urine steroid profiles of LeyKO males were not significantly different than littermates. In contrast, marked 17-hydroxyprogesterone accumulation (100-fold basal) and reduced testosterone synthesis (27% of littermates) were observed after human chorionic gonadotropin stimulation in LeyKO animals. Testis homogenates from LeyKO mice showed reduced 17,20-lyase activity and a 3-fold increased 17-hydroxylase to 17,20-lyase activity ratio, which were restored to normal upon addition of recombinant b5. We conclude that Leydig cell b5 is required for maximal androgen synthesis and to prevent 17-hydroxyprogesterone accumulation in the mouse testis; however, the b5-independent 17,20-lyase activity of mouse steroid 17-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase is sufficient for normal male genital development and fertility. LeyKO male mice are a good model for the biochemistry but not the physiology of isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency in human beings.