title: Steroid fatty acid esters in adrenals and plasma: effects of ACTH.
abstract: The presence and production of 5-ene-steroid fatty acid esters (SFA) has been previously reported in bovine adrenals. A study was conducted, using a series of chromatographic procedures and radioimmunoassays, to determine the levels of SFA in adrenals from man, cattle, dog, rat and guinea-pig, and to assess, in both rats and guinea-pigs, the effect of ACTH on SFA production by adrenals and their subsequent secretion into the circulation. The effects of ACTH on plasma SFA and non-conjugated steroid levels were also investigated in human subjects. Our data indicated that adrenal pregnenolone fatty acid ester (PREG-FA) levels were below 40% of PREG levels in cattle, dog, rat and guinea-pig while, in man, PREG-FA levels were threefold those of PREG. A large proportion of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and 5-androstene-3 beta, 17 beta-diol were present as fatty acid ester derivatives in the adrenals of all species, with the exception of cattle. In both rats and guinea-pigs, administration of ACTH caused a sharp increase in adrenal PREG of approximately threefold which lasted for 6 h, while the concentration of adrenal PREG-FA was slightly increased for a short time. In plasma, however, a marked rise in PREG-FA occurred, while the changes in PREG levels were much lower than those of its acylated counterpart. In man, PREG and DHEA concentrations were rapidly stimulated two-fold in the first 30 min following the administration of ACTH, while PREG-FA and DHEA-FA levels were increased by approximately 2.5-fold (P less than 0.01) at 120 and 180 min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology, CHUL Research Center, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bélanger
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caron
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bélanger
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dupont
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000328:Adult; D015114:Androstenediol / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004285:Dogs; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011284:Pregnenolone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D011284:Pregnenolone; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D015114:Androstenediol