Hormonally Induced Eosinopenia of Peritoneal Fluid of White Rats

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Abstract
The eosinophilic leukocytes of the peritoneal space resemble in appearance at least those of the circulating blood. They are satisfactorily stained by the phloxine technique, and counts made by the chamber method are accurate and compare well with those obtained by the total leukocyte count and stained-smear method. The clear fluid of the peritoneum of newborn rats contains but few eosinophilic leukocytes. There is great variation in concn. in these cells in different animals within the same litter, as is also in case in the blood stream. There is a rapid increase in the concn. of the eosinophils per cu.mm. during the 1st 4 wks. of life; at 4 wks. of age. the avg. count was 6996 cells per cu. mm., with a range of 3281 to 10,187 cells. Epinephrine when given subcut. exerted an eosinopenic response within the peritoneum as within the vascular bed. When given to normal animals a decline of 66.8% occurred within 4 hours after injn. of 1.0 mg. per g. of body wt. Such eosinopenic changes did not follow the injn. of epinephrine into adrenalectomized animals. Cortisone acetate given intramusc. to normal animals was more effective in the eosinopenic response obtained within the peritoneum than adrenocorticotropic hormone when given in the same manner and in the same amts. Compounds F and A were about equally effective when given to adrenalectomized animals, as was true also of a cortical extract. Compound B proved, in this study, a less effective eosinopenic agent than either compound F or A. Physiologic saline soln., given in amts. comparable to those employed when the adrenal compounds were administered, induced slight eosinopenic responses.