THE INABILITY OF EPINEPHRINE OR ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE TO DEPLETE THE ASCORBIC ACID CONTENT OF THE CHICK ADRENAL1

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Abstract
It has been demonstrated that the administration of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) results in an almost immediate fall in the cholesterol and ascorbic acid content of the rat and guinea pig adrenal gland (Sayers, Sayers, Fry, White and Long (1944), Sayers, Sayers, Sayers, Liang and Long (1946)). This decrease in cholesterol content reaches a maximum within 4 hours while the decline in ascorbic acid is detectable within twenty minutes and reaches its maximum within an hour after the intravenous injection of ACTH. The decrease in both these substances has been correlated with evidence of adrenal cortical secretion, e.g. increase in liver glycogen and lymphopenia. They have also shown that the exposure of normal animals to various traumatizing procedures (cold, scalding, hemorrhage, the injection of epinephrine, histamine and typhoid vaccine) resulted in a similar decrease in the concentration of cholesterol and ascorbic acid in the adrenal gland. However, in hypophysectomized rats, these procedures cause no alteration in adrenal cholesterol and ascorbic acid.