A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EOSINOPHILE RESPONSE IN RATS TO ACTH AND CORTISONE1

Abstract

ASUPPRESSION of the typical lymphopenic response to swimming and to ACTH in rats on pantothenate deficient diets has been reported from this laboratory (Dumm et aL, 1949; Ralli, 1950; Duram and Ralli, 1953). The observations have been confirmed by Winters et al. (1952) who found that both the eosinophile and lymphocyte responses to ACTH and to epinephrine were diminished in the pantothenate deficient rat. They also observed that the lymphocyte and eosinophile counts responded normally to the injection of cortisone in the deficient rat. The present report is concerned with the effects of ACTH and cortisone on the eosinophile counts of intact and adrenalectomized rats fed large amounts of pantothenate following a period of deficiency. PEOCEDURE Experimental Animals Young rats of the Long-Evans strain, 30 to 35 days of age, were placed on a diet deficient in pantothenic acid, but otherwise adequate, for 30 days and were then adrenalectomized. One group of rats was continued on the pantothenate deficient diet after adrenalectomy.