Slaunwhite Wr, Sandberg Aa
Jul 1, 1961
Citations
0
Influential Citations
5
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Abstract
Clinical research was carried out comparing metabolism patterns of synthetic steroids with those of natural steroids. The 3 natural steroids and 1 of the synthetic substances were cleared from the plasma at a rate with a 1/2-life of approximately 1.5 hours; the other 2 synthetic steroids cleared at a much slower rate (1/2-life over 200 minutes). The time it took for glucosiduronates to reach high plasma levels varied with the type of steroid compound being tested. There was no correlation between the rate of urinary excretion and the plasma concentration of unconjugated steroid or of metabolite glucosiduronates. The increased effectiveness of certain steroids in relation to weight would not appear to be necessarily associated with decreased clearance and hence metabolism. It appears from the study that the pronounced clinical effectiveness of some of the synthetic steroids (prednisolone 6alpha-methylprednisolone and 6alpha-methyl-17alpha-acetoxyprogesterone) is not explained on the basis of a single metabolic process. Effectiveness rates would appear to depend on a number of characteristics of metabolism including differences in the clearance from plasma in biliary excretion and in the routes of administered steroids.