Influence of intravenous administration of calcium gluconate on the 11-hydroxycorticosteroid secretion by the adrenal cortex.

Abstract

ABSTRACT The effect of intravenous administration of calcium gluconate on the adrenal cortex was investigated in 21 healthy subjects. After the injection, a significant increase in the plasma levels of 11-OHCS was found, at 15 and 30 min, while a control group receiving intravenous glucose showed no change. When the same procedure was repeated during a dexamethasone suppression test, no response from the adrenal cortex was elicited, suggesting that the calcium gluconate does not act directly on the adrenal cortex, but through the hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis.