THE WORK PERFORMANCE OF ADRENALECTOMIZED RATS GIVEN CONTINUOUS INTRAVENOUS INFUSIONS OF GLUCOSE

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Abstract
A study was made of the effect of continuous intraven. infusions of glucose on the ability of adrenalectomized rats to respond to the faradic stimulation of gastrocnemius muscle. Different loads of glucose were admd. to nephrectomized and to adrenalectomized-neph-rectomized rats with and without adrenal cortex extract (ACE). Glucose without ACE did not improve work performance above the very low level shown by untreated animals, even when hy-poglycemia was prevented. Similar results were obtained on adrenalectomized rats having the kidneys intact. During the time that adrenalectomized or adrenalectomized-nephrecto-mized rats continued to work the blood glucose values remained lower than for non-adrenalectomized rats at each glucose load. At a high glucose load (200/100/h) the adrenally insufficient animals showed lower blood glucose values until muscular responsiveness was lost, whereupon the blood glucose curve rose rapidly to values much higher than were shown by the non-adrenalectomized controls. Although exhaustion of available carbohydrate may be one factor limiting the work performance of the adrenally insufficient rat, the prevention of hypoglycemia by the intraven. admn. of glucose does not sustain the responsiveness of stimulated muscle in these animals.