Role of Adrenalectomy and Adrenal-Cortical Hormones in Oxygen Poisoning

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Normal rats submitted to 6 atmospheres of O2 survived 44.4 [plus or minus] 3.29 minutes, whereas adrenalectomized rats survived 66.6 [plus or minus] 4.46 minutes. Admn. of either 1.17 mg. of cortisone total dose, given in 4 days, or of 1.25 ml. of adrenal cortex extract, given in 3 days, to adrenalectomized rats was enough to counteract the beneficial effect of adrenalectomy. Some evidence was obtained that a total dose of 0.1 mg. of epinephrine/100 g. of body wt. alone can also diminish the increased resistance of adrenalectomized rats to high O2 pressure, but the same dose of epinephrine combined with 1.25 ml. of adrenal cortex extract produced a greater decrease in survival time. The expected reversal of the effects of adrenalectomy no longer occurred when the adrenal cortical hormones were given in very high unphysiological doses; and paradoxically there appears to be protection against high O2 pressure which is even greater than that afforded by adrenalectomy alone. Possible mechanisms that may offer some explanation of these expts. are discussed.