Immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor in human plasma.

T Suda; N Tomori; F Yajima; T Sumitomo; Y Nakagami; T Ushiyama; H Demura; K Shizume

doi:10.1172/JCI112204

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Published in Volume 76, Issue 5 on November 1, 1985
J Clin Invest. 1985;76(5):2026–2029. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI112204.
© 1985 The American Society for Clinical Investigation

Published November 1, 1985 - Version history

Plasma immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor (I-CRF) levels were determined by using a human CRF radioimmunoassay and an immunoaffinity procedure. The basal plasma I-CRF level in normal subjects was 6 +/- 0.5 pg/ml (mean +/- SD). We found that most plasma I-CRF levels were affected by stress, negative feedback, and circadian rhythm. Basal I-CRF levels were high in patients with Addison's disease, Nelson's syndrome, hypopituitarism stemming from pituitary macroadenoma, and CRF- and adrenocorticotropic hormone-producing tumors. A very low, but significant, amount of I-CRF was detected (1-3 pg/ml) in patients with Cushing's syndrome, in corticosteroid-treated patients, and in a patient with hypothalamic hypopituitarism. These results suggest that a major component of plasma I-CRF is of hypothalamic origin, however, other extrahypothalamic tissues cannot be ruled out as a minor source of plasma I-CRF.

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