[No Effect of Digitalis on Sex and Adrenal Hormones in Healthy Subjects and in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure]

Overview

Journal Klin Wochenschr

Specialty General Medicine

Date 1984 Jan 16

PMID 6708391

Citations 1

Authors

H K Kley

H ABENDROTH

R Hehrmann

A Muller

E Keck

H Schneitler

H Elsasser

H L KRUSKEMPER

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Digoxin was studied to see whether it impairs adrenal function and feminizes male subjects by changing plasma sexual hormones; both have been reported on previously. In eight healthy male subjects neither estrone (38.7 +/- 7.7 vs 35.4 +/- 3.2 pg/ml) nor estradiol (35.8 +/- 6.4 vs 32.2 +/- 3.9 pg/ml) nor testosterone (6.32 +/- 0.74 vs 6.45 +/- 0.73 ng/ml) were found to be altered by digoxin administration (plasma levels 1.55 +/0- 0.27 ng/ml) lasting 35 days. The same was true of free testosterone (147 +/- 24 vs 142 +/- 19 pg/ml) and free estradiol (657 +/- 77 vs 615 +/- 78 fg/ml). Even maximal stimulation of the adrenal and gonadal glands by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) did not exhibit any digoxin-induced alterations in the synthesizing capacity of steroid hormones, as shown by plasma cortisol (increase from 128 +/- 18 to 389 +/- 18 ng/ml) and testosterone (from 5.96 +/- 0.90 to 10.33 +/- 1.19 ng/ml). Furthermore, seven subjects on digoxin were observed over a period of 150-210 days; they did not show any increase of estrogens. This was also found in three subjects when estrogen levels were elevated initially due to extreme obesity. Also, 35 patients who took beta-methyldigoxin (n = 8), beta-acetyldigoxin (n = 20) and digitoxin (n = 7) from 1 to 9 (mean: 1.9) years demonstrated normal plasma concentrations of gonadal and adrenal steroids, irrespective of duration of application or the digitalis compound.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Citing Articles

A review of the positive and negative effects of cardiovascular drugs on sexual function: a proposed table for use in clinical practice.

Nicolai M, Liem S, Both S, Pelger R, Putter H, Schalij M Neth Heart J. 2013; 22(1):11-9.

PMID: 24155101 PMC: 3890007. DOI: 10.1007/s12471-013-0482-z.

References

Phillips G . Relationship between serum sex hormones and glucose, insulin and lipid abnormalities in men with myocardial infarction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977; 74(4):1729-33. PMC: 430867. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.74.4.1729. View

von CAPELLER D, COPELAND G, STERN T . Digitalis intoxication: a clinical report of 148 cases. Ann Intern Med. 1959; 50(4):869-78. DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-50-4-869. View

Stoffer S, Hynes K, JIANG N, RYAN R . Digoxin and abnormal serum hormone levels. JAMA. 1973; 225(13):1643-4. View

VERNIKOS-DANELLIS J, MARKS B . Pituitary inhibitory effects of digitoxin and hydrocortisone. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1962; 109:10-4. DOI: 10.3181/00379727-109-27086. View

Nieschlag E, Mauss J, Coert A, KICOVIC P . Plasma androgen levels in men after oral administration of testosterone or testosterone undecanoate. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh). 1975; 79(2):366-74. DOI: 10.1530/acta.0.0790366. View

NORDOY A, AAKVAAG A, Thelle D . Sex hormones and high density lipoproteins in healthy males. Atherosclerosis. 1979; 34(4):431-6. DOI: 10.1016/0021-9150(79)90067-4. View

Kley H, Both H, KRUSKEMPER H . Hypercortisolism in patients with cirrhosis of the liver due to decreased binding of plasma cortisol. Horm Metab Res. 1978; 10(6):569-70. DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1095854. View

Kley H, KRUSKEMPER H, Keck E . Estrone and estradiol in patients with cirrhosis of the liver: effects of ACTH and dexamethasone. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1976; 43(3):557-60. DOI: 10.1210/jcem-43-3-557. View

Kley H, Bartmann E, KRUSKEMPER H . A simple and rapid method to measure non-protein-bound fractions of cortisol, testosterone and oestradiol by equilibrium dialysis: comparison with centrifugal filtration. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh). 1977; 85(1):209-19. DOI: 10.1530/acta.0.0850209. View

10.

Burckhardt D, Vera C, LADUE J . Effect of digitalis on urinary pituitary gonadotrophine excretion. A study in postmenopausal women. Ann Intern Med. 1968; 68(5):1069-71. DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-68-5-1069. View

11.

NAVAB A, Koss L, LADUE J . Estrogen-like activity of digitalis: its effect on the squamous epithelium of the female genital tract. JAMA. 1965; 194(1):30-2. DOI: 10.1001/jama.194.1.30. View

12.

Rifka S, Pita Jr J, Loriaux D . Mechanism of interaction of digitalis with estradiol binding sites in rat uteri. Endocrinology. 1976; 99(4):1091-6. DOI: 10.1210/endo-99-4-1091. View

13.

Rifka S, Pita J, Vigersky R, Wilson Y, Loriaux D . Interaction of digitalis and spironolactone with human sex steroid receptors. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1978; 46(2):338-44. DOI: 10.1210/jcem-46-2-338. View

14.

Girndt J, Calkanis Z, Kreuzer H, Seidel D, Scheler F . [Oestrogen as a risk factor for the vascular system (author's transl)]. Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 1980; 105(46):1601-3. DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1070920. View

15.

Kley H, Nieschlag E, KRUSKEMPER H . Age dependence of plasma oestrogen response to HCG and ACTH in men. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh). 1975; 79(1):95-101. DOI: 10.1530/acta.0.0790095. View

16.

Heller R, Jacobs H . Coronary heart disease in relation to age, sex, and the menopause. Br Med J. 1978; 1(6111):472-4. PMC: 1603172. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.1.6111.472. View

17.

Tappler B, Katz M . Pituitary-gonadal dysfunction in low-output cardiac failure. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1979; 10(3):219-26. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1979.tb02075.x. View

18.

LeWINN E . Gynecomastia during digitalis therapy; report of eight additional cases with liver-function studies. N Engl J Med. 1953; 248(8):316-20. DOI: 10.1056/NEJM195302192480802. View

19.

Kley H, SOLBACH H, McKinnan J, KRUSKEMPER H . Testosterone decrease and oestrogen increase in male patients with obesity. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh). 1979; 91(3):553-63. DOI: 10.1530/acta.0.0910553. View

20.

Ricken K . Proceedings: The estrogenic potency of digitalis glycosides. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1975; 287 Suppl:R25. View