DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE IN BLOOD

Abstract

We have reported on the liberation of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) from human blood plasma following hydrolysis with commercial acid and alkaline phosphatases (Oertel & Eik-Nes, 1958). This communication deals with isolation of complexes containing DHEA and phosphate from human blood plasma after infusion of corticotrophin (ACTH). Blood was collected from the arm vein after a six-hour infusion of 25 I. U. of ACTH in four normal male subjects. The plasma was submitted to the following procedure: Extraction of free steroids: Four hundred ml. plasma were extracted three times with 400 ml. methylene chloride each time. The combined extracts were evaporated to dryness in vacuo at +40° C. Defatting of extract: The residue of the EtOH extract was suspended in 100 ml. 70% methanol (MeOH) and the sample kept at −15° C. for 15 hours, whereby most fatty material was precipitated. Following centrifugation at 2000 rpm, the supernatant was carefully decanted