title: Progesterone, some progesterone derivatives and urinary digoxin-like substances from pregnant women in radioimmuno- and 86Rb-uptake assays of digoxin.
abstract: Progesterone and some derivatives were tested in a radioimmunoassay (RIA) of digoxin and in a bioassay measuring the 86Rb-uptake into red blood cells as an index of Na+, K+-ATPase activity. The digitalis-like activity of the hormones was compared with that found in chromatographic fractions of material extracted from the urines of pregnant women at term. Progesterone at concentrations greater than 10(-6) M cross-reacted in the RIA, and at 10(-3) M it decreased 86Rb-uptake by 18%. The anaesthetic progesterone derivates 5 alpha-pregnane-3 alpha-ol-20-one and 5 alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione crossreacted to a lesser degree in the RIA and lacked effect in the bioassay. Similar results were obtained with pregnandiol-glucuronide, the major urinary metabolite of progesterone. In contrast, several fractions of the urinary material had significant effects in both assays. It is concluded that the digitalis-like activity of progesterone is not coupled to properties associated with its anaesthetic effects. Furthermore, although progesterone may account for a part of the endogenous digoxin-like substances in serum of neonates and pregnant women, neither progesterone proper nor pregnandiol-glucuronide explains the great amount of digoxin-like substances found in the urines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vinge
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Helgesen-Rosendal
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bäckström
mesh_terms: D000777:Anesthetics / Q000032:analysis*; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000652:urine*; D002298:Cardenolides; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004077:Digoxin / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000652:urine*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012413:Rubidium; D012503:Saponins
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics; D001798:Blood Proteins; D002298:Cardenolides; D012503:Saponins; C034504:digoxin-like factors; D011374:Progesterone; D004077:Digoxin; D012413:Rubidium