Abstract
An attempt was made to estimate the functional site controlling carbohydrate metabolism within the different cortical regions in the fowl adrenal gland. For this purpose, effects of starvation on the cortical tissue were inspected histologically in 60-day-old cockerels receiving 0.5% saline as a drinking water. Starvation for 5 days caused some rise in weight of the adrenal gland with the proliferation of pale cells in the whole cortical tissue, though the number of fuchsinophil cell was decreased. The sudanophilic lipid and cholesterol contents diminished, whereas the alkaline phosphatase activity was increased. Starvation for 10 days produced a marked enlargement of pale cells in the inner portion of the gland. Prolonged starvation for 15 days brought a conspicuous enlargement of an overwhelming majority of pale cells in the inner portion together with extreme reductions in the lipid content and enzyme activity, though showing no change in the peripheral region. It is assumed that the cortical tissue in the inner portion of the fowl adrenal gland is related to the production of carbohydrate regulating hormones.
