Human corticotropin-releasing hormone (hCRH) test: sex and age differences in plasma ACTH and cortisol responses and their reproducibility in healthy adults.

The effectiveness and safety of MCI-028, a synthetic human corticotropin-releasing hormone (hCRH), as a diagnostic drug were examined in 65 healthy male and 24 healthy female adult volunteers. Mean maximum concentrations of plasma ACTH and cortisol after intravenous administration of 100 micrograms of MCI-028 were 3.0 and 2.0 times their basal concentrations, respectively, and there were no significant age or sex differences in the responses. Good reproducibility was observed in the responses in 59 male subjects who received a second administration after 1 to 2 weeks. Although slight adverse reactions such as mild and transient hot flushing were observed, these were not serious.