Effects of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor(CRF) on Aldosterone and 18-Hydroxycorticosterone in Essential Hypertension and Primary Aldosteronism
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Endocrinol. Japon. 1987, 34(6), 809-819 Effects of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor(CRF) on Aldosterone and 18-Hydroxycorticosterone in Essential Hypertension and Primary Aldosteronism ISAMUMIYAMORI, SHUICHIROYASUHARA, TAKAOMATSUBARA, SEIYA OKAMOTO, MASATOSHIIKEDA, HIDEO KOSHIDA, TOSHIO MORISE, YOSHIYUTAKEDA, RYOYU TAKEDA AND PAUL VECSEI* The Second Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kanazawa University and *Pharmacological Institute , Heidelberg University Abstract The effects of ovine corticotropin releasing factor(o-CRF) on plasma aldo- sterone, 18-OH-corticosterone(18-OHB), plasma adrenocorticotropin(ACTH) and cortisol were determined in eight patients with primary aldosteronism, six with aldosterone-producing adenoma(APA) and two with idiopathic hyperaldosteronism(IHA). The results were compared with those in six normal subjects and eleven patients with essential hypertension(EHT, 5with low renin and 6 with normal renin). In patients with APA, the peak plasma aldosterone and 18-OHB responses to 100μg iv of o-CRF(226%and 113% increase from baseline, respectively) were greater than those in EHT and normal subjects. The net integrated aldosterone and 18-OHB responses(840 ±156, and 419±121 ng/dl・hr, respectively) were also significantly greater (P<0.01) in APA than those in normals and EHT. In two patients with IHA, both the peak and net integrated aldosterone response were smaller than those in APA, in spite of nearly identical plasma ACTH and cortisol responses. These results suggest that augmented responses of mineralocorticoids to o-CRF may be characteristic of aldosteronism due to APA, mediated by CRF. induced ACTH, and possibly other proopiomelanocortin(POMC)-derived peptides. Regulation of aldosterone secretion in aldosteronism due to aldosterone producing primary aldosteronism has not been fully adenoma(APA), aldosterone appears to be clarified. Evidence so far indicates that the under the control of adrenocorticotropin control of aldosterone differs among the (ACTH), from observations of diurnal paral- subtypes of this syndrome. In primary lelism of plasma aldosterone and plasma cortisol(Kem et al., 1973), augmented aldo- Received December12, 1986 sterone responses to exogenous ACTH(Kem Address: The Second Department of Internal et al., 1978, Espiner and Donald,1980) Medicine, School of Medicine, Kanazawa and the suppressibility of aldosterone pro- University, Takara-Machi13-1, Kanazawa920, Japan duction by dexamethasone administration, Endocrinol. Japon. 810 MIYAMORI et al. December 1987 although the functional heterogeneity of the in patients with primary aldosteronism than patients with APA was also reported(Went- essential hypertension(EHT) and that CRF ing et al., 1978). In primary aldosteronism administration may further contribute to due to idiopathic hyperaldosteronism(IHA), the differentiation of subtypes of primary aldosterone production appears partly de- aldosteronism. pendent on the renin-angiotensin system, and this is supported by findings that plasma aldosterone increases in response to the Materials and Methods renin stimulation produced by assuming an upright posture(Ganguly et al., 1973) or Eight patients with primary aldosteronism more directly, by the infusion of angiotensin (5 females, 3 males, aged 34-68 years old, 6 II which resulted in greater aldosterone patients with APA and 2 with IHA) and eleven response in patients with IHA(Wisgerhof patients with ETH(4 females, 7 males, aged 34- et al., 1978, Fraser et al., 1981). Con- 55 years old) were included in the study. All versely acute saline infusion for suppression of the patients were studied as inpatients of of plasma renin activity(PRA) has been clinical wards in Kanazawa University Hospital. One hundred microgram of ovine-CRF(o-CRF) used in the differentiation of the two forms (Peptide Institute, Inc., Osaka, Japan) which was of aldosteronism with varied success. Re- dissolved in sterile water and filtered through cently, corticotropin-releasing factor(CRF), millipore(Millipore Corporation, Bedford, Mass, now widely used to evaluate the hypo- U.S.A.) was administered to 6 healthy male thalamo-pituitary function(Nieman et al., volunteers(aged 22-35 years old) who were used 1986. Laue et al., 1987), has been shown as controls, and the results were compared with to stimulate aldosterone production in man those of patients. Secondary forms of hyper- tension were excluded by examination of normal (Hermus et al., 1984, Conaglen et al., 1984) serum potassium, plasma renin activity(PRA), by increasing ACTH secretion. CRF also aldosterone, urinary 17-OH-corticoids and urinary releases the POMC-derived pituitary pep- excretion of catecholamines and vanylyl man- tides, and the aldosterone-stimulating prop- delic acid(VMA) on two consecutive days. erties of these non ACTH pituitary peptides Intravenous pyelography was performed in all have recently been demonstrated in adeno- hypertensive patients; renal size and the excre- matous tissues from patients with primary tory patterns on urograms were normal on both sides. The diagnosis of low renin EHT was aldosteronism(Aurecchia et al., 1982, Schif- made using the criteria reported previously frin et al., 1983). The plasma levels of the (Takeda et al., 1982), and 5 were low renin and POMC-derived peptides in primary aldo- 6 were normal renin EHT. The differential steronism have been reported with conflict- diagnosis of glucocorticoid suppressible hyper- ing results(Gullner et al., 1983a, Griffing aldosteronism was made by administering 2 et al., 1985a, Griffing et al., 1985b) and mg/day of dexamethasone for 2 weeks to patients the role of non-ACTH pituitary hormones who were suspected of this type of hyperaldo- steronism(Oberfield., 1981). Dexamethasone for the control of aldosterone secretion has failed to suppress plasma aldosterone to normal been reviewed recently(Brownie and Peder- ranges, and serum potassium and blood pressure sen 1986). Patients with APA show rela- were not normalized. In two patients(T.I. 54 tively greater 18-OHB concentrations than years old, male, and A.S. 68 years old, female) those with IHA(Biglieri and Schambelan the diagnosis of IHA was made on the basis of 1979, Kem et al., 1985), a finding which high concentrations of plasma aldosterone in both may also be useful in differentiating the adrenal veins and the absence of a solitary ade- noma on CT scan of the adrenal glands. Other two conditions. It may be hypothesized, biochemical data, including low serum potassium therefore, that CRF will produce greater concentrations, suppressed renin in response to increases in plasma aldosterone and 18-OHB furosemide(80 mg, orally) and upright posture Vol.34, No.6 MINERALOCORTICOID RESPONSE TO CRF 811 for 2 hours, high plasma aldosterone concentra- was 10-50 pg/ml for blood withdrawn at 8 a.m. tions and hypertension with various degrees of The net integrated ACTH and corticosteroid metabolic alkalosis were nearly identical both secretory responses to o-CRF were expressed as in patients with APA and those with IHA. All the areas under the concentration-time curve the patients ingested a regular diet containing (AUC) from -15 to 90 min, minus the area 200 mEq of sodium and 60 maq of potassium corresponding to the mean of the two basal per day during hospitalization. All medications values, multiplied by 90 min. The study protocol were stopped for at least three weeks and was approved by the Human Study Committee smoking and drinking were prohibited for one of Kanazawa University. week prior to the study. After an overnight Statistical analysis was performed using Stu- fast, patients were kept supine for at least 30 min dent's t-test for comparison of within-group prior to the start of the injection. Plasma data for comparison between groups, analysis samples were withdrawn from an indwelling of variance. Data were shown as mean•}SEM catheter 15 min prior to, immediately before and in the text. 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 min after o-CRF (100 pg, iv bolus) administration. The experiment was performed in the morning between 8 and 10 a.m. Results In four patients with APA, 100 pg of o-CRF injection was repeated three to ten weeks after 1. Changes in plasma ACTH, cortisol, and successful removal of the adenoma, when bio- aldosterone and 18-OHB in response to o-CRF chemical abnormalities and blood pressure re- in normal subjects and patients with EHT. covered. Plasma aldosterone and cortisol were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) as reported In normal volunteers the basal plasma previously (Takeda et al., 1976). Plasma 18-OHB ACTH level was 31.1+7.0 pg/ml and in- was also measured by RIA after separation from creased significantly to a peak level of 82.2 other steroids by celite column with ethylene ±13.0pg/ml(p<0.05)at 60min after ad- glycol: water (4: 1) using an antibody developed ministration of o-CRF. Plasma cortisol by Vecsei et al. (1982). Triethylamine (0.1%) also increased from a basal level of 12.4•} was added to all reagents to prevent ketalization 0.9 to 19.4•}1.4 pg/dl at 60 min (p<0.01). of 18-OHB. Normal values in healthy males were 24•}6 ng/dl. Plasma ACTH was also The basal plasma aldosterone and 18-OHB measured by RIA using an antibody to the levels were 9.4•}1.4 ng/dl and 28.6•}3.8 N-terminal end raised in rabbits (IgG Corp., hg/dl which increased to 13.5•}1.9 ng/dl Nashville, Tenn U.S.A.). Plasma samples for and 41.2 +2.0 ng/dl, respectively at 60 min ACTH were collected in pre-chilled polyethylene after o-CRF administration (Table 1). The tubes containing EDTA and Trasylol. The blood peak plasma aldosterone and 18-oHB in- was immediately centrifuged and the plasma was crements in normals were 43.6% and 44.1%, stored at -80•Ž until assayed. The extraction and concentration of ACTH was performed using respectively. There were no significant Sep-Pak C18 cartridges (Waters Associates, Inc., changes in PRA and blood pressure at any Mass U.S.A.) following the method described observation point.