Changes in the Excretion Pattern of Neutral 17-Ketosteroids During Oestrogen Administration to Male Subjects

Abstract

Changes are described in the excretion pattern of some neutral 17-ketosteroid substances during the administration of oestrogen to male subjects.The total output of 17-ketosteroids was always reduced, and the quantitative interrelationships between the individual fractions altered.The rate of excretion of androsterone was considerably reduced in all cases, and to a greater extent than that of the other fractions. The changes in etiocholanolone excretion followed the same direction but were more variable.The percentage participation of dehydroepiandrosterone was always increased, its total rate of excretion being only slightly decreased or even increased; the latter change taking place during more intensive treatment with oestrogen.The possible mechanisms involved in this response to oestrogen are discussed.During an investigation of the various urinary neutral 17-ketosteroid fractions excreted by men, serial measurements during endocrine and non-endocrine therapies offered a good opportunity for observing the effect of various therapeutic agents on the distribution of the individual compounds in the 17-ketosteroid excretion pattern.In this paper the changes observed in the pattern of the 17-ketosteroid excretion during the administration of oestrogen are described. MATERIAL AND METHODSThe authors had the opportunity to investigate 24 hr urine specimens from a number of psychiatric patients who were treated with oestrogen for a variety of clinical reasons.The oestrogen was administered in two forms : daily injections of 5 mg oestradiol mono-benzoate (Dimenformon-Organon) or depot injections of 50 mg oestradiol undecylate (Schering) every 14 days.The extraction and purification of the urinary 17-ketosteroids were carried out according to Callow, Callow, Emmens & Stroud [1939] and Chromatographie analysis on alumina by the method of Pond [1951].The digitonin precipitable 17-ketosteroids were determined by precipitation from a ketonic fraction (Girard ) of the carbon tetrachloride extract followed by direct application of the Zimmermann reaction to the steroid digitonide as described by Cook [1952].