Abstract
Influence of morphine on the transformation of intramitochondrial structure in rat adrenocortical cells and the response of isolated adrenals to ACTH in corticosterone biosynthesis was comparatively studied. Administering morphine 20 mg/kg to rats, the decrease in the sensitivity of cortical cells to ACTH in steroidogenesis was observed to be parallel in time to the onset of transformation of mitochondria, while withdrawal of morphine in addicted rats resulted in a similar change. Re-administration of morphine to the withdrawn rats caused nearly complete recovery to the original state within a few hr of both mitochondrial structure and sensitivity to ACTH.
