AN EXTRA-ADRENAL EFFECT OF SOME COMMERCIAL PREPARATIONS OF CORTICOTROPIN UPON THE WORK PERFORMANCE OF THE HYPOPHYSECTOMIZED RAT

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Abstract
Male rats of 200-g. wt. were anesthetized with barbiturates and following operation were subjected to faradic stimulation of the gastrocnemius muscle to lift a 100-g. wt. 5 times/sec. Stimulation was continued until the death of the animal, or for 48 hrs. Hormones were administered by continuous intraven. injn. The following points are established: the subnormal performance of adrenalectomized rats can be restored to normal by adrenal cortical extract The subnormal performance of hypophysectomized rats is restored to normal by certain prepns. of corticotropin. The performance of hypophysectomized rats and of hypophysectomized-adrenalectomized rats is improved but is not restored to normal by adrenal cortical hormones. The performance of hypophysectomized rats and of hypophysectomized-adrenalectomized rats is restored to normal by adrenal cortical extract plus certain prepns. of corticotropin. Corticotropin does not improve the performance of hypophysecto-mized-adrenalectomized rats in the absence of adrenal cortical hormones and it does not improve the performance of adrenal-ectomized rats which have the pituitary gland intact. These expts. indicate that the pituitary gland secretes a principle having an extra-adrenal action upon body economy which is present in certain prepns. of corticotropin and may or may not be identical with the principle(s) which affect body economy via the adrenal cortex itself.