Plasma concentrations of 18-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone and 18-hydroxycorticosterone simultaneously measured in normal subjects and adrenocortical disorders.

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Abstract
A method for the simultaneous measurement of 18-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone (18-OH-DOC) and 18-hydroxycorticosterone (18-OH-B) in human peripheral plasma was developed. The present method consists of extracting plasma with dichloromethane, separating the 18-OH-DOC and 18-OH-B from other steroids on a Sephadex LH-20 column and quantitating each steroid by radioimmunoassay. The mean plasma level of 18-OH-DOC at 0800 h was 8.2 .+-. 3.9 ng/100 ml (mean .+-. SD) in normal males. It was 7.8 .+-. 2.6 ng/100 ml in the follicular phase of normal females and 11.5 U 2.8 ng/100 ml in the luteal phase. The corresponding level of 18-OH-B in normal males was 10.3 .+-. 4.2 ng/100 ml and in the follicular and luteal phases of normal females was 12.4 .+-. 4.5 ng/100 ml and 13.8 .+-. 4.1 ng/100 ml, respectively. No sex differences nor difference between the phases of the menstrual cycle was confirmed. Plasma levels of the 2 steroids were not rarely high in patients with Cushing''s syndrome due to adrenocortical hyperplasia and carcinoma, primary aldosteronism, idiopathic hyperaldosteronism and congenital 17.alpha.-hydroxylase deficiency, while they were usually within the normal range in cases of Cushing''s syndrome due to adrenocortical adenoma. These steroid levels were significantly low in patients with Addison''s disease.