Identification and quantitation of cortisol metabolites in rat liver homogenate and -slices

Summary Cortisol-1, 2-H³ was incubated with rat liver homogenate and/or rat liver slices in the presence of a NADPH-generating system. The following metabolites could be identified in adult male rats: -cortol, allo--cortol, 3-allo--cortol, 20-hydroxy-cortisol, 11, 17, 20, 21-tetrahydroxy-5-pregnan-3-one, 3-allotetrahydrocortisol, tetrahydrocortisol, trace amounts of allotetrahydrocortisol and two highly polar metabolites only partly identified. In female rats only tetrahydrocortisol, allotetrahydrocortisol and allodihydrocortisol could be detected in significant amounts.The radioactive metabolites mentioned above were localized and quantitated on paper chromatograms by a 4-radiochromatogram scanner. A nearly perfect correlation was found between these results so obtained and those given by liquid-scintillation counting of each metabolite after its elution from the paper.Part of this work was supported by grant n° 695 of the National Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Geneeskundig Onderzoek.Stagiair of the Nationaal Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek.