title: 19-Nor-deoxycorticosterone production from aldosterone-producing adenomas.
abstract: 19-Nor-deoxycorticosterone (19-nor-DOC), a hypertensinogenic mineralocorticoid, equipotent with aldosterone and independent of the renin-angiotensin system, is synthesized in the kidney and excreted in excess in the urine of patients with aldosterone-producing adenomas. This current study evaluated the adrenal and renal venous levels of aldosterone and 19-nor-DOC after adrenal and renal venous catheterization and blood sampling in five patients with aldosterone-producing adenomas. Aldosterone (mean +/- SEM) in the adrenal vein ipsilateral to the tumor (469 +/- 293 ng/dl) was higher than in the contralateral vein (70 +/- 59 ng/dl). 19-Nor-DOC (mean +/- SEM) was also higher in the ipsilateral (548 +/- 286 ng/dl) than in the contralateral (51 +/- 14 ng/dl) adrenal vein. In the renal veins, ipsilateral aldosterone (2.2 +/- 0.8 ng/dl) and 19-nor-DOC (12.2 +/- 2.4 ng/dl) were respectively similar to contralateral aldosterone (1.5 +/- 0.5 ng/dl) and 19-nor-DOC (14.6 +/- 1.3 ng/dl), whereas 19-nor-DOC was higher than aldosterone in each renal vein. The present study demonstrates that 19-nor-DOC is produced, not only from the kidneys, but also from the ipsilateral adrenal of patients with aldosterone-producing adenomas. The ipsilateral adrenal 19-nor-DOC production is comparable to that of aldosterone, suggesting that 19-nor-DOC may be contributing to the hypertension and hypokalemia in this disease. In the contralateral adrenal, aldosterone is suppressed to a greater extent than 19-nor-DOC, suggesting that these two steroids are under the influence of two different regulatory mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Evans Memorial Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital, Boston University Medical Center, Mass.
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Azar
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Melby
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000098:blood supply; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000098:blood supply; D000328:Adult; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000097:blood*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014680:Veins
chemical_list: C027516:19-norcorticosterone; D000450:Aldosterone; D003345:Corticosterone