Importance of serum androgens chromatography on the acth stimulated adrenal steroidogenesis evaluation in hirsute women.

20 hirsute women ageing between 13-38 and 10 age matched controls were investigated. Steroid pattern (F, 170HP, T, DHEAS, A, DHT) were evaluated after repetitive ACTH administration (0.25 mg every 45' for 135'). Testosterone was assayed either directly in ether serum extract (T) or after a previous silica-gel thin layer chromatography (Tc). Basal serum values of all steroids under investigation were significantly higher in hirsute women than in controls. T values resulted higher than Tc thus stressing the high degree of cross-reactivity among DHT, DHEAS, A and T in unchromatographed serum steroid RIA. On the other hand ACTH repeated administration elicited an earlier and more significant T value increase in normals than in hirsutes, whereas Tc did not show any significant change in either group. Similarly DHT serum values did not vary after repetitive ACTH administration either in controls or in hirsute women. During ACTH test A serum values enhanced at 45' in both controls and hirsute women without any further increase after ACTH injections, whereas a lower degree of DHEAS enhancement during ACTH test was observed. On the contrary both F and 17-OHP plasma values strongly enhanced at 45' but a further increase of their values after every ACTH stimulus was also observed. Our data seem to confirm the enhanced adrenal steroidogenesis in hirsutism. But the adrenal contribution to enhanced androgen serum pattern of hirsute women appears to be more evident in androstenedione than in the testosterone fraction.