Abstract
To elucidate the origin and regulatory mechanism of deoxycorticosterone (DOC) and deoxycorticosterone sulfate during fetal life, the levels of serum DOC, DOC sulfate, progesterone, cortisol, corticosterone and 18-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone (180H-DOC) were determined in the fraction separated on high performance liquid chromatogram (HPLC) by radioimmunoassay (RIA) using the serum from normal newborn. Elimination curves both of serum DOC and DOC sulfate showed two phases: rapidly decressing and slowly decreaseing ones. Both serum DOC and DOC sulfate correlated with progesterone (r=0.340, p<0.01; r=0.737, p<0.01, respectively). They also correlated with cortisol (DOC, r=0.467, p<0.01; DOC sulfate, r=0.549, p<0.01, respectively). Serum DOC reached normal adult levels by 16 hrs after birth. However serum DOC sulfate concentration was maintained high throughout the entire early neonatal period. On the contrary, the changes in serum cortisol, corticosterone and 180H-DOC showed a peak surge in the initial phase after delivery. Both serum corticosterone and 180H-DOC correlated with cortisol (r=0.518, p<0.01; r=0.410, p<0.01, respectively).
These findings suggest that, in the fetus, serum DOC and DOC sulfate are mainly produced at extraadrenal sites isolated from normal mineralocorticoids synthesis and after birth they begin to be formed at adrenal glands.
