Aging is without effect on the pituitary-adrenal axis in men

The effects of ovine corticotropin releasing factor (o-CRF) on the secretions of ACTH, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) were studied in the healthy young and elderly male individuals. o-CRF caused significant elevations of plasma ACTH, cortisol and DHEA concentrations, in all subjects. Moreover, there were no significant differences in the time-dependent responses of plasma ACTH, cortisol and DHEA to o-CRF between the young and elderly male individuals. o-CRF showed no significant rise of plasma DHEA-S, in all subjects. We conclude that the pituitary-adrenal sensitivity to the hypothalamic CRF in the elderly does not change with aging.