THE EFFECT OF FRACTURES UPON URINARY ELECTROLYTES IN NON-ADRENALECTOMIZED RATS AND IN ADRENALECTOMIZED RATS TREATED WITH ADRENAL CORTEX EXTRACT

Abstract

ONE of the characteristic metabolic responses of man and of laboratory animals to injury is a temporary decrease in the urinary excretion of sodium and chloride (see Selye, 1950, for review). Since certain of the hormones of the adrenal cortex cause the retention of these ions and since the secretory activity of the adrenal cortices is increased during any type of stress, we have tested the hypothesis that the retention of sodium and chloride following fractures in the rat is caused by an increase in the secretion of cortical hormones. Adrenalectomized rats treated with a constant intake of adrenal cortex extract were found to show a striking temporary reduction in the urinary sodium and chloride following multiple fractures of the back legs just as did non-adrenalectomized rats.