Abstract
Albumin metabolism was studied with the use of radioactive iodine (131I ) labeled human serum albumin (RISA) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and influences of synthetic protein anabolic steroids to albumin metabolism were considered.
In young patients with pulmonary tuberculosis the half-life of albumin was found to be shortened, and both its metabolic rate as calculated from urinary 131I excretion rate were increased, as compared with those in young healthy subjects. In spite of remarkable accelerated albumin degradation both the total exchangeable albumin pool and the extravascular albumin pool were not increased significantly in 2 cases. However in the other one case both the total exchangeable albumin pool and the extravascular albumin pool did markedly rise with the increased degradation rate.
The administration of synthetic protein anabolic steroids to one young patient with discrepancy between albumin degradation rate and total exchangeable albumin pool prolonged the albumin half-life, reduced the albumin degradation rate and increased both total exchangeable albumin pool and extravascular albumin pool. The accelerated albumin turnover in this case may be reduced to almost equal that in young healthy subjects by protein anabolic steroid therapy.
Two senile patients with pulmonary tuberculosis showed a reduction in total exchangeable albumin pool, extravascular albumin pool and albumin degradation rate, and the albumin half-life was prolonged. The data indicate that both the degradation of albumin and its synthesis delay at old age of the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. But in the other
one case the total exchangeable albumin pool was slightly increased and the albumin degradation rate was almost equal to that in young healthy subjects despite of slow turnover rate.
In aged cases, who were treated with synthetic protein anabolic steroids, the albumin half-life was shortened, its turnover rate was accelerated, and the total exchangeable albumin pool and extravascular albumin pool were markedly increased together.
The results of studies on albumin turnover during the therapy suggest that both the albumin degradation rate and the total exchangeable albumin pool in senile patients are increased to be equal or more than those in young healthy subiects by protein anabolic steroids.
Moreover the effects of protein anabolic steroids to the tuberculoss lesion in their pulmonary fields were discussed.
