PRODUCTION OF EXPERIMENTAL HYPERTENSION BY ALDOSTERONE

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Abstract
Rats were sensitized to overdosages of cortexone or similarly acting steroids by unilateral nephrectomy and by providing 1% saline as drinking fluid. Daily doses of 0.5 mg of d''l-aldosterone-acetate injected subcutaneously for 4 weeks produced hypertension while 0.25 mg did not. A similar degree of hypertension was obtained with 2.5 mg cortexone-acetate daily. Fluid intake and salt ingestion were lower and the histological changes in various organs examined were less marked in the aldosterone-treated animals. Pressor active substances present in the kidney disappeared during treatment with both aldosterone and cortexone. From these observations it is concluded that the daily uptake of fluid and simultaneously of salt was about twice as great with cortexone as with aldosterone. Vascular alterations and lesions in various organs (heart, kidney, mesentery, adrenals, pancreas, testis) were definitely more pronounced in the cortexone-treated animals than in those overdosed with aldosterone. From these observations it can be concluded that the capacity of aldosterone to produce hypertension and vascular lesions is relatively less than that of cortexone when both corticoids are administered in the same way.