Immediate and Prolonged Effects of Hydrocortisone on the Free Amino Acids of Rat Skeletal Muscle.

Abstract

Summary 1. Twenty-four hours after injection hydrocortisone was found to increase the free amino acids of the plasma and muscle of the rat. These acids are decreased after 10 days of treatment with hydrocortisone. 2. Hydrocortisone produced increases in aspartic acid in the muscles of rats treated for 24 hours and for 10 days. This increase after 10 days occurred in spite of a 40% decrease in aspartic acid concentration in the plasma. 3. The muscle/plasma ratios of glycine, glutamine and glycine were found to decrease at 24 hours and at 10 days. This suggests that hydrocortisone inhibits the transport of these amino acids.