THE EFFECT OF INANITION ON THE ANTERIOR PITUITARY-ADRENOCORTICAL INTERRELATIONSHIP IN THE GUINEA PIG1

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Abstract
Studies have been made on the 9 guinea pig to investigate the morphologic responses of the adrenal and pituitary glands, and the pituitary-adrenocortical interrelationship in starvation. Enlargement of the adrenals is a characteristic response of the guinea pig to deprivation of food and occurs either in acute or chronic starvation. The increase in adrenal size is absolute and is roughly proportional to the degree of body weight loss and the duration of the inanition. The adrenal hypertrophy involves the inner cortical zones; primarily the fasiculate and to a lesser extent the reticularis zones. There is atrophy of the zona glomerulosa in either acute or chronic starvation. The wt. of the pituitary decreases with starvation, but the diminution is not marked. The microscopic structure of the gland is greatly altered in starvation. There is a progressive loss of acidophilia, and an increase in the numbers of basophiles and chromophobes. The basophiles reveal cytologic manifestations of high secretory activity (cell hypertrophy, degranulation, abundant mitochondria, and hypertrophy of the Golgi apparatuses). In advanced starvation, the pituitary loses its specific staining reaction and degenerative changes in nucleus and cytoplasm occur. The cortical hypertrophy of inanition does not occur in the absence of the hypophysis. The admn. of aqueous cortical extract in high doses depresses the adrenal wt. in the normally fed guinea pig, but does not effectively prevent cortical hypertrophy in the starved animal. Pituitary wt. and body wt. loss are not appreciably altered with cortical treatment. The results are interpreted to mean that the cortical hypertrophy in the starving pig results from augmentation of adrenotrophin secretion by the basophiles of the ant. pituitary. The ineffectiveness of cortical hormones in preventing the adrenal enlargement suggests the catabolic reactions in starvation to be such that adrenotrophic secretion either cannot be appreciably inhibited, or that much greater amts. of cortical hormone than those effective in the fed animal are necessary.