CHEMICAL STUDIES ON THE ADRENAL CORTEX

Abstract

In Paper II of this series (1) we described the isolation from adrenal extracts of four crystalline, nitrogen-free compounds, which were found to be physiologically inactive when tested on the adrenalectomized dog.Three of these compounds, besides others not encountered by us, have meanwhile been obtained independently by Reichstein (2) ;I the fourth is apparently identical with the substance designated as the adrenal cortical hormone by Kendall, Mason, McKenzie, Myers, and Koelsche (3).Analytical data obtained on these compounds in the various laboratories indicated the presence of 21 carbon atoms, and 5 oxygen atoms with varying functions.Reichstein subsequently showed that at least three of the compounds of this series (his Compounds A, C, and D) could be degraded to the same diketone C19H2~--2803, which possesses strong male sex hormone action and is in all probability closely related to androstanedione (4).This highly important observation, besides revealing a chemical relationship which might be concerned in the clinical syndrome of adrenal virilism, can be taken as strong presumptive evidence that the afore-* This work was supported in part by a grant from the Josiah Macy, Jr., Foundation.We wish to express our appreciation to Parke, Davis and Company for their cooperation.1 The identity of our Compound A with Reichstein's Compound A, and of our Compound D with his Compound C has been established by mixed melting point determinations with samples kindly sent us by Dr. Reichstein.