Steroidogenic response of adrenal tissues after administration of ACTH to dogs with hypercortisolemia
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Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Primary Culture of Rat Adrenocortical Cells and Assays of Steroidogenic Functions
Published on: March 12, 2019
L A Frank1, L P Schmeitzel, J W Oliver
1Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37901, USA.
Objective:
To evaluate adrenal sex hormone concentrations in neutered dogs with hypercortisolemia.
Design:
Case series.
Animals:
11 neutered dogs with hypercortisolemia.
Procedure:
Serum samples obtained before and 1 hour after administration of ACTH were evaluated for concentrations of cortisol, progesterone, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate or androstenedione or both, and 17-hydroxyprogesterone.
Results:
For all dogs, concentrations of 1 or more adrenal sex hormones were substantially greater than reference range values before or after administration of ACTH. Testosterone concentration was not greater than reference range values in any of the dogs.
Conclusions And Clinical Relevance:
Results emphasize the importance of ruling out hypercortisolemia before measuring adrenal sex hormone concentrations as a means of diagnosing adrenal hyperplasia syndrome (alopecia X) in dogs.
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