THE EFFECT OF AMPHENONE-B ON THE CHOLESTEROL AND ASCORBIC ACID CONTENT OF THE RAT ADRENAL

Abstract

PREVIOUS publications have described the chemical synthesis (Allen and Corwin, 1950) and some of the biological properties of Amphenone-B.* This substance has progestational activity in the rabbit (Allen, Hertz and Tullner, 1950) and has an anesthetic effect in the rat, rabbit and dog (Hertz, Allen, Tullner and Westfall, 1952). Amphenone-B also has folliculoid activity (Hertz, Allen and Tullner, 1950) in the castrated female rat. It has been reported, in addition, that the rat responds to the compound with a marked hyperplasia of the thyroid, a goitrogenic action which is probably related to its aromatic amino groups (Hertz et al., 1951). But of all the effects in its bizarre spectrum of endocrine action, the most interesting and unexpected is the profound hypertrophy of the adrenal glands. Just as the goitrogenic activity can be suppressed by the simultaneous administration of thyroxine, the hypertrophy of the adrenals can be suppressed by the administration of cortisone (Hertz, Tullner, and Allen, 1951).