THE INFLUENCE OF ASCORBIC ACID ON THE ADRENAL WEIGHT DURING EXPOSURE TO COLD

Abstract

It is well known that any type of stress produces an increase in weight of the adrenals, and it is believed that the weight response in such conditions is an aspect of the functional adaptation of the adrenals to the increased requirement for cortical hormones by the organism (Selye, 1937) (Ingle, 1938, 1939); in other words, that the gain in adrenal weight, under conditions of stress, is due to an hypertrophy of the cortex with a corresponding increase in adrenal cortical hormones production, and consequently an increased resistance towards the damaging agent. It has also been shown by many authors that the enlargement of the adrenal cortex can be prevented (Ingle, 1938) (Selye, 1940) or even more that the gland may become atrophied (Selye and Dosne, 1942) when the animals under stress are treated with sufficiently high doses of adrenal cortical hormones; moreover,