THE EXCRETION OF 11-OXYCORTICOSTEROIDLIKE SUBSTANCES BY NORMAL AND ABNORMAL SUBJECTS*

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Abstract
This study consists of an analysis of the urinary "11-oxycorticosteroid" (11-OCS) excretion in normal individuals and in patients with certain endocrinopathies. The procedure, previously reported, consists of a colorimetric assay of the adrenal cortical "sugar hormone" or "S hormone"; the value obtained is thought to be an index to those 21 carbon adrenal-cortical steroids which have a ketone or hydroxyl group on the eleventh carbon atom and an hydroxyl group on the 17th carbon atom. The avg. 24-hr. excretion obtained for 11-OCS in normal young adults was 0.22 mg. with a range from 0.10-0.44 mg. The avg. value obtained for 17 patients with pan-hypoadreno-corticism (Addison''s disease) was 0.14 mg. with a range of 0.02[long dash]0.29 mg.; evidence is presented which indicates that the overlapping between normal individuals and patients with Addison''s disease in their assay values would be minimal if detns. were carried out on more than one 24-hr. urinary specimen; the admn. of 11-desoxycorticosterone acetate had no effect on the assay values of patients with Addison''s disease. The 11-OCS assay was less than 0.10 mg./24 hrs. in 4 of 7 patients with pan-hypopituitarism and less than 0.18 mg. in 6 of the 7. The 11-OCS assays of 2 patients with hy-pothyroidism, a condition in which clinically there is no evidence of "sugar hormone" lack, were below 0.1 mg./24 hrs.; in 1 of these patients, on whom the effect of thyroid medication was studied, the assay value rose to normal. It is suggested that the low value in this disease may be on a compensatory basis. It is tentatively concluded that the 11-OCS output as measured here may be taken as an index of the rate of production of the carbohydrate regulating hormones (glu-coneogenic or sugar hormone) of the adrenal cortex and that as such they give distinctly different information from that provided by the urinary 17-ketosteroid measurement.