title: Adrenocorticotropic hormone is produced in the ventricle of patients with essential hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aldosterone is produced in the ventricle of patients with hypertension. The present study was designed to examine whether adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol are also produced from the heart in patients with essential hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 57 patients with essential hypertension and 28 control subjects. Plasma levels of ACTH, aldosterone, and cortisol were measured in the aortic root, the anterior interventricular vein and the coronary sinus during cardiac catheterization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The plasma levels of ACTH were significantly higher at the anterior interventricular vein and coronary sinus than at the aortic root (12.7 +/- 1.0 versus 10.7 +/- 0.9 pmol/l, P < 0.001; and 12.3 +/- 1.0 versus 10.7 +/- 0.9 pmol/l, P < 0.001, respectively) in the hypertension group, whereas there were no significant differences in the levels among these sites in the control group. The plasma levels of aldosterone were significantly higher at the anterior interventricular vein and the coronary sinus than at the aortic root (261.7 +/- 16.4 versus 239.1 +/- 15.1 pmol/l, P < 0.001; and 258.8 +/- 17.0 versus 239.1 +/- 15.1 pmol/l, P < 0.01, respectively) in the hypertension group, whereas there were no significant differences in the levels among these sites in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ACTH as well as aldosterone is produced, but cortisol is not produced, from the ventricle of patients with essential hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kumamoto Aging Research Institute, Kumamoto, Japan. acth@k2.dion.ne.jp
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yasue
authors.forename: Michihiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: Eisaku
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Shota
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Nobuyasu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Hisao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Kazuwa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakao
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D001011:Aorta / Q000378:metabolism; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D000450:Aldosterone; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone