Adrenocorticotropic hormone extraction

Advances in technology may make the best-appearing process obsolete before the plant can be put into operation. This happened to a multimillion dollar plant that Armour Company built in the early 1950s for producing ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone). This is a hormone originally extracted from the pituitary... 

Amri H, Drieu K, Papadopoulos V. (1997). Ex vivo regulation of adrenal cortical cell steroid and protein synthesis, in response to adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation, by the Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 and isolated ginkgolide B. Endocrinology. 138(12) 5415-26. 

A study (Amri et al., 1996) of GB extract 761 in rats demonstrated that high doses (10-100 mg/kg) of the extract, as well as isolated ginkgolides A and B at doses of 2 mg/kg, decreased corticosteroid synthesis by up to 50% and 60%, respectively. An associated increase in adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels was also seen. 

---