URINARY EXCRETION BY MAN OF 11β,17α,20α, 21-TETRAHYDROXY-4-PREGNEN-3-ONE AND THE 20β EPIMER*

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Abstract
Reduction of the C-20 ketonic group to the 20[alpha] hydroxy and 20[beta] epimer appears to be one of the major metabolic pathways of steroid metabolism in man. This study reports the identification of 11[beta], 17[alpha], 20[alpha], 21-tetrahydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one and the 20[beta] epimer isolated from extracts of the urine (1) from a man receiving adrenocoticotropin, (2) from a woman with hypopituitarism, after she had ingested 400 mg of cortisol acetate, (3) "normal" men (a "pool"), and (4) from a normal man. These results confirm the findings of Peterson, Pierce and Kliman after administration of cortisol to normal men, and of Holness, Lunnon and Gray who found the 20[beta] epimer after the administration of adrenocorticotropin. In addition this study reports the findings of the 20a epimers after administration of adrenocorticotropin, and both epimers in urine from normal men.