FUNCTIONAL ZONATION OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX: SITE OF ACTH ACTION

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Abstract
When ACTH or corticotropin-peptides were added to the incubation media of beef adrenal slices composed chiefly of glomerulosa tissue they did not significantly affect the total production of corticosteroids nor that of aldosterone. The same corticotropin preparations markedly increased the production of total corticosteroids and of hydrocortisone in the incubation media of slices composed of fasciculata-reticularis cells. In the presence of fasciculata-reticularis slices, ACTH promoted the conversion of cholesterol to hydrocortisone. In the presence of glomerulosa slices, ACTH neither promoted the conversion of cholesterol to aldosterone nor did it increase the conversion of 21-hydroxypregnenolone and progesterone to aldosterone.