A patient found to have ectopic Cushing's syndrome three months after surgical resection of cloacogenic carcinoma of the anal canal was studied with serial plasma cortisol and ACTH measurements. The effects of therapy on plasma ACTH and cortisol levels were noted. An autopsy was performed immediately after death and liver metastatic tumor tissue was assayed for "small" ACTH, "big" ACTH, PTH, an...

The possible occurrence of phosphorylation of proadrenocorticotropin(ACTH)/endorphin-derived peptides in the rat was examined by incubating dissociated anterior and intermediate pituitary cells with a %amino acid plus 32Pi. In both lobes of the pituitary newly synthesized pro-ACTH/endorphin was labeled with 32P. In the intermediate pituitary, corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide (CLIP) ...

The fetal zone is a unique adrenal cortical compartment that exists only during fetal life in humans and higher primates and produces large amounts of the adrenal androgen dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). Growth of the fetal zone is primarily regulated by ACTH, the actions of which are mediated in part by locally produced autocrine/paracrine growth factors. We previously demonstrated th...

The chronic effects of ACTH on mean arterial pressure (MAP) and related variables were studied in dogs with both chronic norepinephrine (NE)- and chronic aldosterone-induced hypertension. MAP was recorded continuously for 24 hours/day, and sodium intake was 71 mEq/day. ACTH was infused for 8 days at a rate that does not increase MAP in normotensive dogs and yet a rate that produces pronounced m...

The study objectives were to determine the predominant manatee glucocorticoid; validate assays to measure this glucocorticoid and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH); determine diagnostic thresholds to distinguish physiological vs. pathological concentrations; identify differences associated with sex, age class, female reproductive status, capture time, and lactate; and determine the best method...

Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) is processed to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and beta-lipotropin in corticotropes of the anterior lobe, and to alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) and beta-endorphin in melanotropes of the intermediate lobe (IL) of the pituitary gland. While ACTH secretion is predominantly under the stimulatory influence of the hypothalamic factors, hormone secreti...

The guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-sensitive adenylate cyclase was studied In the crude membranes of three adrenocorticotrophlc hormone (ACTH)-resistant tumors and one prostaglandln E, (PGEi)-reslstant human adrenocortical tumor. In the ACTH-reslstant tumors, the steroidogenesis of Isolated adrenocortical cells was not stimu lated by ACTH,_24but was enhanced by PGE,; whereas in the PGErlnsensltiv...

Aldosterone responses to angiotensin II were evaluated in normal subjects in 3 conditions, (1) with suppression of neither ACTH secretion nor angiotensin II, (2) with suppression of ACTH by dexamethasone, and (3) with suppression of both ACTH and angiotensin II by combined administration of dexamethasone and captopril. Baseline levels of plasma aldosterone were significantly lowered by administ...

GH-releasing hexapeptide (GHRP-6) is a synthetic secretagogue that stimulates the release of GH by acting at both hypothalamic and pituitary sites. GHRPs also consistently elicit small, but significant, increases in plasma concentrations of ACTH and adrenal steroids. As these secretagogues do not release ACTH directly, they probably interact with the hypothalamic peptidergic systems controlling...