Cortisol Production Rate in Adolescent Males in Different Stages of Sexual Maturation

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Abstract
Cortisol production rates (CPR''s) and urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17-OHCS) were estimated in 16 adolescent males, of whom 5 were selected from Stage 1 (early), 5 from Stage 3 (mid-) and 6 from Stage 5 (late) of sexual maturation. Both CPR and 17-OHCS were significantly increased in Stage 5 males when compared to the Stage 1 and Stage 3 subjects. In addition, significant positive correlations between CPR and 17-OHCS were observed when both estimations were compared with 3 indices of growth: (1) surface area, (2) weight and (3) urinary creatinine excretion, of the 16 subjects. No differences between the 3 groups were detected in the pattern of excretion of cortisol metabolites when comparison was made of radioactivity recovered in an unconjugated ethyl acetate extract, a /3-glucuronidase liberated chloroform extract, and another ethyl acetate extract after the chloroform extraction.