Role of ACTH in the Secretion of Free Dehydroepiandrosterone and Its Sulfate Ester in Man

Dehydroepiandrosterone (D) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DS) are secreted by the normal human adrenal. No diurnal variation of DS was found in 7 normal subjects. With parenteral ACTH gel administration, DS levels progressively increased 24 and 48 hr after instituting the injections every 12 hr. Seven patients underwent percutaneous adrenal vein catheterization. Adrenal venous effluent was obtained before and after 1 mg of β1–24 corticotropin administration. Adrenal venous DS levels did not respond to corticotropin stimulation, whereas adrenal venous D levels rose 20- to more than 100-fold to that stimulus. It is postulated that the disparity between DS responsiveness to acute and prolonged corticotropin stimulation is secondary to peripheral conversion of D to DS. Explanations are offered to account for the differential responsiveness of adrenal D and DS secretion to acute stimulation with β1–24 corticotropin. This is the first systematic study of adrenal venous D and DS levels in response to corticotropin. A method for the isolation and purification of D and DS is also presented.