Quantitative paper chromatography of conjugated 17-ketosteroids in plasma.

The determination of urinary 17-ketosteroids has limited applications in the understanding and diagnosis of the nature of endocrine disorders associated with mild hirsutism and virilism in the female, because a very large number of these patients excretes 17-ketosteroids well within the normal range. Recent experience of Finkelstein, Forchielli and Dorfman (1) suggests that in these cases the blood levels and nature of the circulating androgens may be very important. Earlier indirect evidence (2-12) and the more recent isolation and partial identification of sulfates of dehydroisoandrosterone, androsterone, and etiocholanolone by Baulieu (13) indicate that 17-ketosteroids are present in plasma mainly in the form of esters. Direct estimation of these conjugated steroids in plasma offers distinct advantages: the alteration of the steroid molecule which occurs with certain types of hydrolysis as well as possible problems of incomplete hydrolysis can be circumvented. Also, information concerning the physiological significance of the steroid conjugating mechanisms may be gained through direct qualitative and quantitative estimation of these conjugates. The present paper describes a convenient method, using quantitative paper chromatography, for the estimation of dehydroisoandrosterone and androsterone sulfates (DHIA-SO and Andro-SO4) in plasma.