Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 53, 797-800, Copyright © 1981 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Impaired clearance of beta-lipotropin in uremia

N Aronin, AS Liotta, B Shickmanter, GC Schussler and DT Krieger

Immunoreactive ACTH and beta-lipotropin (beta-LPH) plasma concentrations are elevated in clinically stable chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis (LPH: patients, 271.8 +/- 35.7 fmol ml-1; normal subjects; 6.6 +/- 0.5; ACTH: patients, 56.4 +/- 15.3; normal subjects, 19.4 +/- 1.7). To begin to study the etiology of such elevated levels, the MCR, apparent volume of distribution, and fractional rate of disappearance of synthetic human ACTH and highly purified human beta-LPH were determined in two clinically stable chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis, after bolus simultaneous injection of both peptides. Biphasic disappearance curves were obtained for beta-LPH; triphasic for ACTH. The MCR of ACTH was within the range seen in normal subjects, whereas the MCR of beta-LPH was less than one half the normal rate. The data indicate that a decrease in MCR (rather than an increase in pituitary secretory rate) may account for the higher plasma levels of beta-LPH in uremic patients.