Plasma Ketosteroids and Testosterone in Man: A Study of the Pituitary-testicular Axis*

Summary. The average plasma testosterone concentration of women with either hirsutism or polycystic ovaries and hirsutism was higher (p < 0.01) than that of normal women although the ranges overlapped. Testosterone blood production rates averaged 830 ± 120 SE and 1,180 ± 310 SE ,ug per day in the two groups of hirsute women and 230 ± 33 SE ,ug per day in normal women. The ranges did not overlap.The testosterone metabolic clearance rates of hirsute women (1,090 ± 140 SE L per day) and of men (1,240 + 136 SE L per day) were significantly higher than those of normal women (590 + 44 SE L per day). These differences persisted when the metabolic clearance rates were corrected for surface area. We suggest that testosterone metabolic clearance rates vary directly with some function of testosterone production.The mean plasma androstenedione levels (2.8 ± 0.35 SE and 2.8 + 0.30 SE ,ug per L) and production rates (6,060 ± 450 SE and 7,360 + 345 SE ,ug per day) of the women with hirsutism or polycystic ovaries, respectively, were significantly higher than those of normal women (1.5 + 0.22 SE pg per L; 3,300 + 830 SE pg per day). The androstenedione metabolic clearance rates were the same in each group. Plasma androstenedione was the precursor of 49% of plasma testosterone in normal women and of 26% of plasma testosterone in hirsute women. Thus, 74% of the plasma testosterone in these subjects must have been either secreted or derived from a precursor that did not enter the plasma androstenedione pool.

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“…Table II. Gas-liquid chromatography and collection of the samples for radioactivity measurements were performed as described previously (11).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testosterone and Androstenedione Blood Production Rates in Normal Women and Women with Idiopathic Hirsutism or Polycystic Ovaries*

Bardin¹,

Lipsett²

1967

J. Clin. Invest.

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323

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“…Kirschner, Lipsett, and Collins, using gas chromatography were able to detect lower concentrations than those previously detected (11) (Table IV). With the development of more sensitive and reproducible techniques for the measurement of such steroids, the possible role of etiocholanolone in spontaneous fevers has been reevaluated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Recurrent fever of unknown etiology: failure to demonstrate association between fever and plasma unconjugated etiocholanolone

George¹,

Wolff²,

Diller³

et al. 1969

J. Clin. Invest.

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A B S T R A C T A sensitive method for determination of plasma unconjugated etiocholanolone by double-isotopederivative dilution has been described. The mean values for normal subjects was 0.038 +0.003 (SEM) ug/100 ml. 40 patients, 20 with familial Mediterranean fever and 20 with other diseases characterized by recurrent fever were studied. The over-all mean concentration of plasma unconjugated etiocholanolone for the patients (febrile or afebrile) was 0.101 ±0.012 ttg/100 ml, significantly above that of normals. Mean plasma values for the patients while they were febrile did not differ from the mean values when they were afebrile. It is suggested that the concentration of plasma unconjugated etiocholanolone is not related to fever in these patients. INTRODUCTIONIt is well-known that the intramuscular injection of certain 5,8-H, A: B cis steroids, of which etiocholanolone has been most studied, regularly causes local inflammation and fever in man (1, 2). In 1958 Bondy, Cohn, Herrmann, and Crispell (3) reported elevated plasma concentrations of unconjugated etiocholanolone during recurrent febrile episodes in two patients, and suggested a new clinical syndrome, "etiocholanolone fever." These investigators developed a method for the measurement of unconjugated etiocholanolone in human plasma and established an upper limit of normal of 1.2 ug/100 ml plasma (4) ; the lower limit, less than 0.5 ,Ag/100 ml, was the lowest value detectable. With this method, plasma concentrations of unconjugated etiocholanolone ranging from 2.4 to 14.2 ug/100 ml were reported during febrile for 14 days) at New England Nuclear Corp., after which the radioactivity in the sample was found to be 142 mc. Readily exchangeable tritium was removed by dissolving the steroid repeatedly in 500 ml of ethyl alcohol, followed by evaporation at 50'C. Further purification was achieved by paper chromatography in two different Bush-type systems (cyclohexane:: methanol: water, 10:: 10: 1 and decalin: nitromethane:: methanol, 2: 1:: 1). The dried eluate containing radioactive steroid was acetylated with a mixture of equal parts of acetic anhydride and pyridine for 16 hr at 370C. The acetylation process was stopped by adding 1 ml of 20%o alcohol. The sample was extracted with methylene chloride and chromatographed as the acetate in the decalin system. The eluted steroid acetate was taken up in 0.4 ml ethyl alcohol to which 1.6 ml of 0.1 N sodium hydroxide in 70%o methyl alcohol was added. After hydrolysis for 18 hr at room temperature the free steroid was extracted into dichloromethane, the dichloromethane steroid solution was washed with 5 ml water; the extract was dried and chromatographed in the same two systems as above. The radioactive steroid was always chromatographed between two samples of etiocholanolane or etiocholanolone acetate, which were identified by spraying with a solution of meta-dinitrobenzene (22 g in 100 ml of ethyl alcohol) and 15%o potassium hydroxide (Zimmerman reaction). The purified, tritium-labeled etiocholanolone was stored fr...

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“…A number of diurnal measurements of unconjugated plasma testosterone have been published (111)(112)(113)(114)(115)(116)(117)(118)(119)(120)(121)(122)(123)(124), often as incidental observations made in the course of studies focused primarily on some other problem. Some reports include only two measurements per day (111,112,115,117), and only a few specify environmental and living schedules (114,117,199,120) or report statistical evaluation of the data (114,116).…”

Section: Androgens and Luteinizing Hormonementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some reports include only two measurements per day (111,112,115,117), and only a few specify environmental and living schedules (114,117,199,120) or report statistical evaluation of the data (114,116). Initially these reports were contradictory and confusing, as might be expected at the stage when even the existence of a diurnal pattern is uncertain, let alone its phase, amplitude and behavior in relation to environmental factors and habit.…”

Section: Androgens and Luteinizing Hormonementioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosomatics and Chronobiology: Possible Implications of Neuroendocrine Rhythms

Curtis

1972

Psychosomatic Medicine

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Six of the variables involved in the psychoendocrine "catabolic-anabolic sequence" as defined by Mason-urinary corticosteroids, epinephrine, norepinephrine, aldosterone, urine volume and plasma growth hormoneundergo diurnal variations of large amplitude. Androgen secretion probably has, and estrogen, insulin and thyroid secretion may have, diurnal variations.The organization of the daily neuroendocrine cycle differs in important respects from that of the psychoendocrine catabolic-anabolic sequence. Alteration of normal phase relations among endocrine rhythms could have an impact on overall hormone balance equal to or greater than that of psychoendocrine responses as usually understood. Such alterations could occur either as a result of unusual living schedules or of impaired capacity of the organism to synchronize its rhythms with environmental cycles. The capacity to synchronize internal rhythms with each other and with environmental cycles appears to involve higher nervous activity and to depend on structural and functional integrity of the brain.Chronobiology is the study of biologic chronobiologic knowledge to the treatment of rhythms-ie, of the temporal structure of disease. organisms as opposed to the morphologic strucRecently the psychosomatic and chronobiture (1). Several subdivisions, including the fol-ology movements have begun to interact. It lowing, may be delineated: a) chronophysiolo-remains to be seen how fruitful the exchange gy, the study of normal rhythmic processes; b) will be, but a number of common interests are chronopharmacology, the study of rhythmic readily apparent. Both have strong commitfluctuations in the organism's response to drugs ments to the integrative approach in biologic and of drug effects on rhythmic functions; c) research; both are concerned with variations chronopathology, the study of the relationships within the physiologically normal range; both between rhythm abnormalities and disease; and have interests which extend from the molecular d) chronotherapeutics, the application of to the sociologic'levels of organization; and both aspire to improve the practice of clinical medicine. From the Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute andA i m o f t e n s i o n i n t h e interaction is

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Plasma Ketosteroids and Testosterone in Man: A Study of the Pituitary-testicular Axis*

Cited by 122 publications

References 16 publications

Testosterone and Androstenedione Blood Production Rates in Normal Women and Women with Idiopathic Hirsutism or Polycystic Ovaries*

Testosterone and Androstenedione Blood Production Rates in Normal Women and Women with Idiopathic Hirsutism or Polycystic Ovaries*

Recurrent fever of unknown etiology: failure to demonstrate association between fever and plasma unconjugated etiocholanolone

Psychosomatics and Chronobiology: Possible Implications of Neuroendocrine Rhythms

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