Gravimetric and Histologic Changes in Fetal Adrenals following Maternal Adrenalectomy and Metopirone Injection in the Rat

Abstract

Adrenalectomy (ADX) of pregnant rats on day 14 or 15 of gestation did not induce any hypertrophic feature in the fetal adrenals within 2 days. ADX on day 16 significantly increased both the weight of fetal adrenals and the size of fetal adrenocortical cells in 2 days. However, ADX on day 17 induced some increase in the weight of fetal adrenals, not accompanied with any significant cortical cell enlargement within 2 days. ADX on day 18 caused no increase in either the weight of fetal adrenals or the size of cortical cells. ADX on day 19 or later also induced a highly significant increase in both the weight of fetal adrenals and the size of cortical cells. To know more clearly the pattern of the negative feedback mechanism of the fetal pituitary-adrenal axis, metopirone was injected into another series of ADX rats on each of two days after ADX and the animals were autopsied on the third day. Metopirone caused more marked hypertrophy of the fetal adrenals and cortical cells than did ADX alone performed after day 16. These results strongly support the view that the fetal pituitary-adrenal negative feedback mechanism begins to operate between days 16 and 18 of gestation.