title: Exploration of the human fetal pituitary adrenal axis: stimulation of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate biosynthesis by homologous pituitary in organ culture.
abstract: Adrenals obtained from human abortices at midpregnancy were kept under conditions of tissue culture and the production of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (3beta-hydroxy-5-androsten-17-one, 3-sulfate; DHA-S) monitored by radioimmunoassays for up to 2 weeks. Basal production of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate was considerably higher than that of cortisol. alpha1-24corticotrophin, alpha1-39corticotrophin, (a long acting porcine corticotrophin) at the concentration of 1 mU/ml of culture medium in both instances, and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (1mM) enhanced the production of both steroids some 3 to 30 times above control values. Medium harvested from homologous pituitary cultures had comparable corticotrophic activity. It is concluded that at midpregnancy the regulation of corticoidogenesis implies the existence of a corticotrophic factor either identical or closely related to ACTH.
mesh_terms: D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007700:Kinetics; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000502:physiology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone