Physiologic Disposition of 4-C14-Tetrahydrocortisol in Man

Abstract

The steroid 4-C¹⁴-tetrahydrocortisol was prepared by an enzymatic technique and was administered to 5 normal males. Four of them received the compound intravenously, while the 5th subject received it orally. Urine was collected 0–6, 6–24 and 24–48 hr after steroid administration. The glucuronide fraction of each of the urine samples was studied for the following compounds: tetrahydrocortisol, tetrahydrocortisone, allotetrahydrocortisol, cortol, cortolone and 11-oxygenated 17-ketosteroids. It was noted that, in the 0–6 hr sample, tetrahydrocortisol represented approximately 80 % of the total glucuronide fraction, whereas in the 24–48 hr sample it represented only 10% of the radioactivity in the glucuronide fraction. Conversely, the amounts of tetrahydrocortisone, cortol, cortolone, and 11-oxygenated 17-ketosteroids increased relative to the amounts of total glucuronides. The main steroid excreted on the 2nd day was 11β-hydroxyetiocholanolone. The conversion of tetrahydrocortisol to tetrahydrocortisone was confirmed but represented less than 2 % of the injected dose. No radioactive 5α-hydrogen compound could be detected.