URINARY EXCRETION OF β-CORTOLONE (3α,17α, 20β,21-TETRAHYDROXYPREGNANE-11-ONE) IN YOUNG AND ELDERLY MEN AND WOMEN*

Abstract
[beta]-Cortolone (3[alpha]r,17[alpha],20[beta],21-tetrahydroxypregnane-ll-one) was found as a regularly occurring metabolite in the urine of 20 young and elderly subjects of both sexes. The range of excretion values for young subjects was 0.3 to 2.9 mg. per twenty-four hours, and that for elderly subjects was 0.4 to 1.0 mg per twenty-four hours. When expressed as a function of creatinine excretion, [beta]-cortolone excretion was not significantly altered by age. It was, however, significantly correlated (r = 0.91) and proportional (20.1 per cent [plus or minus] 1.5) to the urinary excretion of tetrahydrocortisol, allqtetrahydro-cortisol and tetrahydrocortisone.