Excretion of Urinary Corticoids and 17-Ketosteroids in the Normal Individual1

THE PRESENCE in human urine of substances which have the properties of adrenal cortical steroids has been demonstrated by many investigators. Perla and Marmorston-Gottesman (1931), Grollman and Firor (1932-33), Weil and Browne (1939a), Dorfman and Fish (1942), all have reported that extracts of urine of normal individuals are capable of either prolonging the survival period of adrenalectomized rats or of increasing their resistance to stress such as cold or histamine poisoning. In addition, it has been shown that these extracts will increase liver glycogen in the fasted adrenalectomized rat (Horwitt and Dorfman, 1943), prolong muscle performance (Shipley, Dorfman and Horwitt, 1943), and prevent water intoxication (Schiller and Dorfman, 1943). Following damage, such as burns or surgical operation, Weil and Browne (1939b & 1940), using the Selye-Schenker cold exposure test, showed that the amount of these active substances is increased in the urine, and Venning, Hoffman, and Browne (1943 & 1944) demonstrated that extracts of urine obtained from patients after surgical operations also possess increased life-maintaining properties and the capacity to deposit glycogen in the liver of the fasted adrenalectomized rat.