Effect of Short-Term Therapy with Cortisol on the Urinary Excretion of Free Amino Acids

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Abstract
The effect of short-term cortisol therapy on the urinary excretion of free amino acids was studied in 11 normal humans. Each subject received 100 mg of cortisol daily for a period of 5 days. The quantities of free amino acids in the urine were determined by means of an automatic amino acid analyzer, before, during and after cortisol therapy. The concentration of free amino acids in the plasma was determined parallel with the urine measurements in 4 of the 11 subjects. Of the 25 amino acids which were found and measured in the urine, 10 were not influenced to a significant degree by the administration of cortisol. Fifteen were increased significantly (P n-butyric acid, leucine and ornithine. The elevated levels of 10 of the amino acids returned to pretreatment levels one day after cessation of cortisol administration. The other 5 decreased significantly, but were still elevated. From these data it may be inferred that the catabolic effect of short-term cortisol therapy is not merely a consequence of the diversion of amino acids from protein synthesis to gluconeogenesis, but also of renal loss of amino acids, thus enhancing the catabolic effect of cortisol.