Stimulation of the pituitary adrenocortical system in man by cerulein, a cholecystokinin-8-like peptide |
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| Authors: | E Sp?th-Schwalbe L Piroth R Pietrowsky J Born H L Fehm |
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| Institution: | Abteilung Innere Medizin I, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universit?t Ulm, BRD. |
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| Abstract: | The responses of plasma adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and cortisol to intravenous injection of cerulein (ceruletide), a decapeptide closely related to cholecystokinin octapeptide, were investigated in healthy men. In response to 16 ng/kg cerulein, plasma ACTH rose from a preinjection level of 42 +/- 11 pg/ml (mean +/- SEM) to a peak level of 81 +/- 16 pg/ml after 15 min. This ACTH increase was followed by a rise in plasma cortisol from a preinjection value of 10.3 +/- 0.9 microgram/dl to a peak value of 17.7 +/- 1.7 microgram/dl after 30 min. This is the first report of the potent stimulating effect of a cholecystokinin-8-related peptide on the pituitary-adrenal system in man. |
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