COMPARISON OF POTENCY OF DIFFERENT ACTH PREPARATIONS BY INTRAVENOUS AND SUBCUTANEOUS ROUTES OF INJECTION

Abstract

The potencies of 2 different types of ACTH prepns. were compared by intraven. and subcutan. injn. using adrenal ascorbic acid depletion in the hypophysectomized rat as the criteria of potency. Estimates of the relative potency of the 2 types differed with the route of injn. by 3 to 11 times. The subcut. route of injn. required as much as 100 to 1000 times larger dosage than did the intraven. route to cause equivalent ascorbic acid depletion. The data given are interpreted as not supporting the multiple ACTH factor theory.