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Short-term kinetics of serum adrenal steroids and plasma ACTH after a single dose of metyrapone in man

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Abstract

The in vivo influence of metyrapone (M) on different adrenal enzymes has been studied by simultaneous measurement of serum progesterone (P), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), deoxycorticosterone (DOC), corticosterone (B), deoxycortisol (S), 18-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone (18-OHDOC), aldosterone and cortisol (F) as well as by the measurement of plasma ACTH before and after oral administration of 40 mg of M/kg at 08:15 in four healthy male subjects. The well known inhibitory effect of M on adrenal 11-hydroxylase is demonstrated by a decrease of serum F and B and a synchronous increase of serum S and DOC after administration of M. The additional inhibition of 18-hydroxylase by M is documented by a decrease of serum 18-OHDOC in spite of a marked increase of serum DOC after M. The moderate increase of serum P and 17-OHP soon after drug administration, although plasma ACTH is highly elevated at this time, as well as the marked increase of these steroids in the afternoon synchronously to a rise of serum F and B suggest a further inhibitory effect of M on an enzyme prior to the total corticosteroid biosynthesis. This effect of M should be taken into account if ACTH activity is monitored in terms of adrenal steroid output in the metyrapone test.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Klinikum Steglitz, Freie Universität Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 1 Berlin 45, W. Germany

    M. Schöneshöfer, B. Schefzig & S. Arabin

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  1. M. Schöneshöfer
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  2. B. Schefzig
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  3. S. Arabin
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Additional information

The paper includes parts of the thesis of B. Schefzig and was in part presented to the 23rd Symposium of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Endokrinologie, Ulm 1978, the abstracts of which are published in Acta Endocrinologica (Kopenhagen), (Suppl.) 215, 1978.

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Schöneshöfer, M., Schefzig, B. & Arabin, S. Short-term kinetics of serum adrenal steroids and plasma ACTH after a single dose of metyrapone in man. J Endocrinol Invest 3, 229–236 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03348268

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