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Concentrations of Aldosterone, Corticosterone, 11-Deoxycorticosterone, Progesterone, 17-Hydroxyprogesterone, 11-Deoxycortisol, Cortisol, and Cortisone Determined Simultaneously in Human Amniotic Fluid throughout Gestation^*

Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital (Dr. von Haunersches Kinderspital), and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Munich School of Medicine Munich, Germany

Address requests for reprints to: Dr. Wolfgang G. Sippell, Universitats-Kinderklinik, Schwanenweg 20, D-2300 Kiel 1, Germany.

Corticosteroids (CS) are essential for fetal organ maturation; yet, knowledge of endogeneous CS and precursor levels throughout fetal life is limited. Therefore, unconjugated aldosterone (Aldo), corticosterone (B), 11-deoxycorticosterone (DOC), progesterone (P), 17ahydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), 11-deoxycortisol (S), cortisol (F), and cortisone (E) were simultaneously determined by RIA after automated Sephadex LH-20 chromatography in 70 control samples of amniotic fluid (AF) obtained at all gestational ages between 14–42 weeks. Levels of the progestins P and 17-OHP slowly increased from means (±SE) of 14.7 ± 2.8 and 1.63 ± 0.21 ng/ml, respectively, in early gestation to maximum levels of 32.4 ± 3.5 and 3.80 ± 0.74 ng/ml at 36–38 weeks (P < 0.005), then dropped significantly (P < 0.01) to 19.2 ± 2.2 and 1.58 ± 0.22 ng/ml at term. All CS levels except E rose very markedly by 3-to 12-fold (P < 0.0001) from the weeks 14–16 (DOC, 0.44 ± 0.08; B, 1.49 ± 0.23; Aldo, 0.043 ± 0.012; S, 0.51 ± 0.10; F, 5.96 ± 0.93 ng/ml) until the 36–38th weeks (DOC, 3.50 ± 0.66; B, 4.60 ± 0.78; Aldo, 0.530 ± 0.109; S, 6.00 ± 0.75; F, 60.8 ± 8.9 ng/ml). Term levels were significantly reduced (P < 0.01) in the less active CS DOC (0.51 ± 0.07 ng/ml),B (2.35 ± 0.35 ng/ml), and S (1.14 ± 0.14 ng/ml), whereas those of thebiologically most potent CS Aldo and F declined less markedly (0.272 ± 0.053 and 23.0 ± 0.75 ng/ml, respectively, at 39–42 weeks). Levels of the inactive glucocorticoid E rose from 8.83 ± 1.08 ng/ml at 14–16 weeks to 16.8 ± 2.6 ng/ml at 31–35 weeks (P < 0.01), then remained rather constant around 11.5 ng/ml until term. It is concluded that afterthe 25th week, largeamounts of biologically active CS areavailable in AF which probably directly inducethe final epithelial maturation of fetal lungs and intestinal tract.

^* This work was supported by the German Federal Ministry for Research and Technology (BMFT). It was presented in part at the 62nd Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society, Washington, D.C., June 17–20,1980.

Received June 19, 1980.

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