17-Ketosteroid Excretion in Ageing Subjects 131 



phenyl-Cellosolve system, to resolve androst-2(or 3)-en-17- 

 one (which arises from arulrosterone during the acid hydro- 

 lysis of the urine), 3j8-chloro-androst-5-en-17-one, and the 

 acetate of 9etioch()lan-3a-ol-17-one (II), which is formed 

 to a small extent durino- the (iirard reaction. The 

 androsterone and 8etiocholan-3a-ol-17-one zones are eluted 

 and oxidized with perbenzoic acid. The oxidation products 

 are rechromatographed and the 9:11 epoxides determined. 

 These arose from the ll)8-hydroxy steroids, which were 

 dehydrated during hydrolysis. Chromatography for 72 hours 

 in heptane-propylene glycol of another aliquot of the 

 extract, or of material eluted from the paper strip m 

 the area between the 8etiocholan-3a-ol-17-one zone and the 

 starting line, resolves the 11-keto compounds. The composi- 

 tion of the fraction called "residue" is not yet fully deter- 

 mined. Preliminary studies indicate the presence of pregnane- 

 3a,17a-diol-20-one, and possibly of allopregnane-3a,17a-diol- 

 20-one. These two compounds may be dispersed over an area 

 including the zone for the 8etiocholan-3a-ol-ll,17-dione, and 

 therefore the determination of that compound may be some- 

 what high. A few studies indicate that between 8 and 20 per 

 cent of the Zimmermann value for the 8etiocholan-3a-ol- 

 11,17-dione zone may be due to the presence of the 20-keto 

 compounds. 



Results 



The daily excretion of a-17-ketosteroids of normal men 

 and women is shown in Table I. Though a change in excretion 

 is seen in old age, there is no sign^ificant difference between 

 young men (nineteen to forty) and young women (twenty-one 

 to thirty-five) or between old men (seventy to eighty-eight) 

 and old women (seventy-four to eighty-five) in total excretion 

 or in the excretion of any single component. In the younger 

 age group, the total a-17-ketosteroid excretion is 8 -3-10 -6 

 mg. per day. Of this, 3 • 0-3 • 7 mg. are present as androsterone, 

 2 -6-3 -9 mg. as 8etiocholan-3a-ol-17-one, 0-6-0 -7 mg. as 



