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Models of steroid-induced hypertension in man and rat have been well characterized but the mechanisms by which ACTH and glucocorticoids raise blood pressure are not fully understood. Recently described paracrine (eg endothelial nitric oxide) and humoral (eg PHF) factors may be important in human essential hypertension. These factors were examined in cortisol-induced hypertension in man and ACTH-induced hypertension in the rat respectively. In man, the haemodynamic effects of ACTH can be attributed to the adrenal production of cortisol, but whether the major rodent glucocorticoid corticosterone is responsible for ACTH-induced hypertension in the rat has not been resolved. This question was examined in these studies. In male volunteers, exogenous cortisol raised blood pressure and suppressed endothelium-dependent vasodilatation, by a mechanism which may be nitric oxide synthase dependent. Although dexamethasone and fludrocortisone also raised blood pressure, attenuation of cholinergic vasodilatation was not observed. From these studies, the data suggest that the effect of cortisol on endothelium-dependent vasodilatation is unique to the endogenous hormone and not reproduced by synthetic agonists of GR or MR. Impaired endothelial vasodilator function may contribute to cortisol-induced hypertension in man. In the rat, exogenous corticosterone, administered in doses to achieve circulating concentrations similar to those observed in the experimental model of ACTH excess, reproduced the haemodynamic and some of the metabolic changes which characterize ACTH-induced hypertension. Further, like ACTH-induced hypertension, corticosterone-induced hypertension was prevented by L- but not D-arginine, and this effect was completely prevented by NOLA. It is likely that adrenal corticosterone mediates the hypertensive effects of ACTH excess. Parathyroidectomy had no significant effect on the rise in blood pressure secondary to ACTH excess. It is unlikely that PHF contributes to the model of ACTH-induced hypertension in the rat. The bioassay for the measurement of PHF could not be reproduced in our laboratory, leaving a question mark about the relevance of this putative factor in hypertension research.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986.

No description available.

No description available.

Steroid sulfatase (STS) catalyzes the desulfation of biologically inactive sulfated steroids to yield biologically active desulfated steroids and is currently being examined as a target for therapeutic intervention for the treatment of breast and other steroid-dependent cancers. A series of 17-arylsulfonamides of 17-aminoestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3-ol were prepared and evaluated as inhibitors of STS. Introducing n-alkyl groups into the 4´-position of the 17-benzenesulfonamide derivative resulted in an increase in potency with the n-butyl derivative exhibiting the best potency with an IC50 of 26 nM. A further increase in carbon units (to n-pentyl) resulted in a decrease in potency. Branching of the 4´-n-propyl group resulted in a decrease in potency while branching of the 4´-n-butyl group (to a tert-butyl group) resulted in a slight increase in potency (IC50 = 18 nM). Studies with 17-benzenesulfonamides substituted at the 3´- and 4´-positions with small electron donating and electron withdrawing groups revealed the 3´-bromo and 3´-trifluoromethyl derivatives to be excellent inhibitors with IC50’s of 30 and 23 nM respectively. The 17-2´-naphthalenesulfonamide was also an excellent inhibitor (IC50 = 20 nM) while the 17-4´-phenylbenzenesulfonamide derivative was the most potent inhibitor with an IC50 of 9 nM. Kinetic studies with 3´-bromo derivative revealed it to be a non-competitive inhibitor and so these types of inhibitors might be capable of binding at the active site and also at a secondary site outside the active site. The amide analogs of some of these compounds were found not to be as potent inhibitors as the sulfonamides. Introducing a nitro group or fluorine atom into the 4-position of the 17-arylsulfonamide inhibitors resulted in an increase in potency. Some of these compounds are the most potent reversible STS inhibitors ever reported with apparent Ki’s as low as 1 nM. 3-O-Sulfation of these compounds did not significantly alter their potency. It is not known if 3-O-sulfated derivatives were acting as inhibitors or reversible suicide inhibitors. Docking studies were performed on selected inhibitors to gain insight into how they might interact with STS. Selected 17-arylsulfonamide inhibitors were sent to the NCI (USA) for in vitro screening with a panel of 60 human tumor cell lines (NCI-60 panel). Almost all of the compounds exhibited GI50’s in the 1 to 10 M range with all 60 cell lines and so were only moderately potent in terms of their ability to inhibit the growth. None of the compounds stood out in terms of their ability to inhibit the growth of any breast cancer, prostate cancer or any other cancer cell line studied. The thiadiazolidinedione group was proposed as a sulfate mimic for obtaining STS inhibitors. A new approach to the synthesis of 3-aminoestrone was achieved as part of an attempt to prepare the thiadiazolidinedione target. 3-O-Sulfamoylation of one of the 17-arylsulfonamide inhibitors was attempted using a variety of reaction conditions but was unsucce

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Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii, 1968. / Bibliography: leaves 91-103. / ix, 103 l graphs, tables

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M. D.)--University of New South Wales, 1999. / Also available online.