STUDIES ON THE SUPRARENAL CORTEX

Abstract

1. The withdrawal of maintenance injections of the cortical hormone from the suprarenalectomized dog during balance experiments, in which a constant meat diet is given, with constant fluid and salt intake, is followed by increased urinary loss of sodium and chloride, and by retention of potassium and nitrogen. 2. Where the water intake is low, a definite diuresis usually accompanies this excretion of sodium and chloride, but where fluids are forced, no diuresis may be observed. 3. The reinjection of the cortical hormone in suprarenal insufficiency causes an active renal excretion of potassium which is greatly in excess of the probable extra accumulation of this component in the extracellular fluids during the period when insufficiency is developing. This potassium excretion is surmised to be sufficient to account for such an accumulation, if diffusible potassium is present in like concentration equally throughout all of the body water, intracellular as well as extracellular. The excretion of potassium is accompanied by a. corresponding excretion of phosphate and of nitrogen. 4. The excretion of electrolytes which is associated with withdrawal and with subsequent reinjection of suprarenal cortical hormone differs from the effects produced with various diuretic agents regarding which data are available. The effects produced by injection of the cortical hormone during suprarenal insufficiency, however, do resemble those produced with pituitrin, particularly in the greatly increased excretion of potassium relative to sodium, and in the coincidental dilution of the circulating blood. They suggest the possibility that the two similar effects may be ascribable to a common cause.