Abstract
It was previously reported by the authors (1) that, in a normal rat with daily administration of 100 mg/kg borneol and intraperitoneal injection of 400 mg/kg glucuronolactone for the period of 13 days, the amounts of total glucuronic acid, of o-glucuronide and of l-ascorbic acid excreted in rat's urine, increased significantly, and that, in a bilaterally adrenalectomized rat administrated daily with the above noted drugs for the same period, these amount did not increase so much as in normal animal. Based on our investigations that borneol-glucuronide formation was inhibited by bilateral adrenalectomy, we may assume, that adrenals are related to glucuronide formation in a living body. It was already been investigated that a lot of hormone are excreted from adrenal medulla and adrenal cortex. There are adrenaline and noradrenaline as a main hormone excreted from adrenal medulla; and there are glucocorticoid including corticosterone, 17-hydroxycorticosterone, 11-dehydrocorticosterone and 17-hydroxy-11-dehydrocorticosterone and mineral corticoid including 11-desoxycorticosterone, 17-hydroxy-11-desoxycorticosterone and aldosterone, as a main hormone of adrenal cortex. That these hormones have respectively different effects on glucuronide formation is suggested from their own different actions. In the present investigations, the authors tried to ascertain the effect of adrenohypophyseal hormones on glucuronic acid metabolism. Adrenaline, 17-hydroxy-11-desoxycorticosterone (cortisone), 11-desoxycorticosterone (DOC) and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) which has direct influences on adrenal hormone were chosen and the changes in the amounts of total glucuronic acid, o-glucuronide and ascorbic acid in urine were examined after the administration of above drugs to a normal and a bilaterally adrenalectomized rat.
