Cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, and ACTH concentrations after dexamethasone in depressed patients and healthy volunteers.
The 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test was used to assess pituitary-adrenal activity in 23 depressed patients and 8 healthy volunteers. At 1600h, after administration of the test dose of dexamethasone at 2300h, levels of cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, and corticotropin were determined following a chromatographic extraction step applying highly specific radioimmunoassay techniques. Cortisol nonsuppressors had significantly increased adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) values and cortisol/11-deoxycortisol ratios. The cortisol/11-deoxycortisol ratio was regarded as a measure of biologically active ACTH. The present results, which indicate a concordance of corticotropin and corticosteroid response, suggest that the parent abnormality of dexamethasone-resistant cortisol concentrations is elevation of biologically active corticotropin.
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003350:Cortodoxone / Q000097:blood; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010912:Pituitary-Adrenal Function Tests; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
D003907:Dexamethasone; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003350:Cortodoxone; D006854:Hydrocortisone