Effect of Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) and Cortisone on Serum Proteins in Various Diseases

Abstract

In 15 patients treated with ACTH and cortisone the serum proteins were examined before and after treatment by means of a method of fractionated salting-out with ammonium sulfate and detn. of the protein content in the different fractions by means of u.-v. spectrophotometry. As a rule, a fall of the protein values was seen in the course of treatment in certain salting-out-intervals of the globulins, and this fall occurred more frequently when the treatment produced a good clinical effect than when this was not the case. In this small and heterogeneous series of cases there seems to be a connection between the protein values in certain salting-out-intervals before the treatment and the clinical effect of the latter.