Secretion of Aldosterone by the Zona Glomerulosa of Rat Adrenal Glands Incubated in Vitro.

Abstract

Rat adrenal glands incubated in vitro release aldosterone at the rate of 0.66 [mu]g/100 mg of tissue/hour. Following decapsulation, rat adrenal glands secrete only a negligible amount of the hormone (0.09 [mu]g/100 mg of tissue/hour). The production of aldosterone by rat adrenal "capsules" was compared with that of the corresponding decapsulated glands. It was found that the "capsular portion" which contains the cells of the zona glomerulosa secretes aldosterone at the rate of 1.79 ug/100 mg of tissue/hour, whereas the decapsulated gland produces the hormone at the rate of 0.14 [mu]g/100 mg of tissue/hour. These findings are strong evidence that the principal site of aldosterone secretion in the rat adrenal is the zona glomerulosa.