THE COMPARATIVE VALUE OF CORTISONE, 17-HYDROXYCORTICOSTERONE AND ADRENAL CORTEX EXTRACT GIVEN BY CONTINUOUS INTRAVENOUS INJECTION IN SUSTAINING THE ABILITY OF THE ADRENALECTOMIZED RAT TO WORK

Abstract

Adrenalectomized-nephrectomized male rats having an initial wt. of 200 [plus or minus] 2 g. were anesthetized with barbiturates and subjected to faradic stimulation of the quadriceps muscle to lift a 100 g. wt. 5 times/sec. Adrenal cortex extract (ACE) and 17-hydroxycorticosterone (cmpd.F) cortisone were each dissolved in 5% ethanol and admd. by continuous intraven. injn. The expt. was continued until muscular responsiveness was lost. Fifteen rats were studied at each of the following dosages: ACE, 20 cc/24 hrs./rat; cortisone, 4 mg./24 hrs./rat; and compd. F, 2, 3 and 4 mg./ 24/rat. These doses had been found in other expts. to sustain optimal work output for each respective prepn. Fifteen nephrectomized, non-adrenalectomized rats served as additional controls. The avg. total work done by non-adrenalectomized rats and adrenalectomized animals which received ACE was greater than the total work of rats treated with optimal amts. of either cortisone or Cmpd. F.