EFFECT OF ADRENAL CORTICAL COMPOUNDS ON EDEMA FORMATION OF FROGS' HIND LIMBS1

Abstract

THE METHOD of Cartland and Kuisenga (1936) for the assay of adrenal cortical extract depends on the ability of the test material to maintain the life of adrenalectomizied rats; it requires the use of relatively large quantities of extract and a period of several weeks for each determination. A somewhat more rapid and sensitive method is that of Selye and Schenker (1938) which makes use of the changes in the acute response of adrenalectc miz;ed rats to temperature fluctuations. This procedure requires moderate quantities of the fluid to be tested and a period of 24 hours for its completion. In the course of perfusion studies on isolated frog's legs (Loewen-Tren- delenburg preparation) it was found that small concentrations of adrenal cortical extracts in the perfusate markedly affect the development of edema in the legs. The rate of the edema formation, measured by the successive changes in weight.