The effect of kallikrein on the pituitary-gonadal function was investigated in rats.
In female rats the ovarian and uterine weights showed a significant increase after 30 day kallikrein treatment.Adrenal and thyroid weights and tail length increased significantly only in a few sections of the experiments. No change in ¹³¹I uptake and T/S ratio of the thyroid was noted.
In male rats only the prostate and seminal vesicles showed a significant weight gain but not the other organs.
In hypophysectomized rats the weights of ovary, uterus, adrenals and thyroids were not significantly different between the kallikrein administered group and the control.
Pituitary gonadotrophic potency as measured by the mouse-uterine-weight method was augmented by kallikrein both in female and male rats.
It seems reasonable to conclude from these results that kallikrein has an effect to augment the production and release of pituitary gonadotrophin.

View full abstract

The influence of different types of experimental hypertension in rabbits upon the sodium and potassium ion level in the thoracic aorta, in erythrocytes and in the blood plasma was followed up.
In metacorticoid hypertension after DCA+NaCl there was a potassium fall in the plasma and in erythrocytes; the plasma sodium increased and in the aorta both ions rose.
After prolonged ephedrine administration sodium rose in the plasma and potassium rose in erythrocytes; the potassium content of the aorta slightly decreased.
In renal hypertension sodium slightly increased in the aorta and in the blood plasma, whereas the potassium content of erythrocytes slightly decreased.
After long-term NaCl administration sodium rose only in the plasma, whereas potassium decreased in both the plasma and erythrocytes. The prolonged KCl administration produced a rise of potassium in the aorta and also in erythrocytes, whereas the plasma sodium was found slightly increased.

View full abstract

The continuous administration of 10mg/kg of 19-nortestosterone phenylpropionate (19-Nor), 4-chlorotestosterone acetate (4-Cl) and testosterone propionate (TP) from 7 to 100 days of age at 48 hrs. intervals, produced a decrease in the rate of growth in male and an increase in female rats.
A decisive decrease in weight of the thymus and pituitary gland of both sexes and in female's adrenal was observed after all three steroids, especially in female rats. A decrease in weight of the testis and ovary, and an increase in weight of the seminal vesicle and prostate were observed by TP administration. In the groups received 19-Nor or 4-Cl, however, was found a decrease in weight of those organs.
The liver of the treated male rats contained less amount of RNA than that of control animals, whereas RNA concentration in females became somewhat higher than that of controls. Total nitrogen amount in the liver, thigh muscle, uterus and serum remained essentially unchanged after those treatment.
Sex difference in the metabolic state was induced by these steroids, 19-Nor, 4-Cl and TP, as evidenced by the facts that the concentration of RNA and the activity of GPT and xanthine oxidase in the liver exhibited an increase in female and a decrease in male rats.

View full abstract

In the 8-hr. fasted rats, the activity of glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), and glycogen, protein and lipid contents in the liver were followed with time after single administration of hydrocortisone acetate (HCA). GPT activity reached a maximum level at the 4th hr. after single subcutaneous injection of 2mg/100g body weight of HCA. Glycogen deposition was started to increase at the 2nd hr. after HCA injection. No correlation was observed between GPT activity and glycogen deposition within 8hrs. following HCA administration. The change of liver protein also was not related to GPT activity. Liver lipid showed moderate decrease after HCA administration.
The activities of GPT and octanoate oxidation system in the liver of rats fed on the fixed amount of food increased to about twice or more the controls after HCA administration, 1mg every 12hrs. for 4 days. The same dose of corticosterone also increased the activities of these enzymes, but the action of HCA was somewhat stronger than that of corticosterone. The administration of 19-nortestosterone phenylpropionate in 0.5mg concomitantly 1mg of HCA every 12 hrs. for 4 days somewhat antagonized HCA only with respect to the change in body weight. On the other hand, desoxycorticosterone acetate in 1mg suppressed the effects of HCA on the glycogen, protein and lipid contents in rat liver.

View full abstract

Rats were stimulated by different two triggers of ACTH; unilateral adrenalectomy and SU-4885. The rate of ACTH release in response to those stimuli was evaluated by 3 parameters; plasma corticosterone concentration, pituitary ACTH content, and ascorbic acid concentration.
Surgical stress produced higher and more persistently elevated plasma corticosterone concentration in rats administered by triiodothyronine than in the control rats, while the reverse was obvious in thyroidectomized rats. This difference could not be accounted completely by differences in adrenal responsiveness to tropic hormone among them. The findings on the rate of depletion in adrenal ascorbic acid as well as pituitary ACTH clearly indicated that in response to stress the pituitary gland of hyperthyroid rat is more responsive in terms of ACTH release, while that of hypothyroid rat was less responsive than the control rat.
Following SU-4885 plasma corticosterone showed to decrease in similar fashion independent of thyroid function. Nevertheless, hyperthyroid rats released pituitary ACTH more rapidly than euthyroid rats, while hypothyroid rats released it more slowly, in response to the depression of plasma corticosterone concentration.
It is clear from these results that the thyroid hormone is an important factor which controls the capacity of the pituitary gland to release ACTH in response to stress.

View full abstract

The responses of urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17-OH-CS) to two stimulation methods with repository ACTH were investigated in patients with hyperthyroidism.
Baseline values for total urinary 17-OH-CS were significantly elevated in hyperthyroidism. The study on the diurnal variations in total urinary 17-OH-CS revealed the greater magnitude of variation in hyperthyroidism than in the normal group.
The urinary 17-OH-CS response to 30 I. U. of ACTH-Z injected every 12 hrs. for 5 days increased more quickly and to much higher levels in hyperthyroidism than in normal subjects, whereas the response to 30 I. U. of ACTH-Z injected only every 24 hrs. for 5 days showed no further rise or much slower rise after the 2nd or 3rd day of the stimulation. The effects of a single injection of 30 I. U. of ACTH-Z had a tendency to decline more rapidly in hyperthyroidism than in euthyroid subjects.
These results appear to indicate that in hyperthyroidism 1) there is no sign of impairment of adrenocortical reserve, at least under the continuous maximum stimulation of the adrenal cortex for 5 days, 2) the capacity of the adrenal cortex in the ability to secrete corticosteroids is greater than in normal subjects and 3) the effects of ACTH disappear more rapidly than in normal subjects.

View full abstract

In an attempt to study a thyroid state in which excess iodide would inhibit thyroidal radioiodine release, normal and hemithyroidectomized animals were fed a low and high iodine diet for 7 days. During the measurement of thyroidal radioiodine release, animals were injected with or without graded doses of propylthiouracil.
In normal rats fed a low iodine diet, thyroidal radioiodine release was inhibited by excess iodide when small amounts of propylthiouracil (5mg) were injected, while in high iodine diet fed animals, thyroidal radioiodine release was not inhibited by excess iodide in any of the experimental conditions studied.
In hemithyroidectomized and low iodine diet fed animals, thyroidal radioiodine release was inhibited significantly by excess iodide regardless of the dosesof propylthiouracil used, but the inhibition was most marked when 5mg of propylthiouracil were given. However, in the animals similarly treated but fed a high iodine diet, thyroidal radioiodine release was inhibited only when small amounts of propylthiouracil were given.
It is suggested that excess iodide inhibits thyroidal radioiodine release when the thyroid gland is overfunctioning.

View full abstract

Fine polyethylene tubes were inserted in the ureters of female rats under nembutal anesthesia. Several hrs. later, the rats were injected intravenously with creatinine. Every 5 mins. urine was collected for 30mins. following the injection then the animals were sacrificed. A linear line was obtained when the rate of creatinine excretion was plotted on a logarithmic scale against time, and the rate of creatinine excretion at the time of sacrifice was obtained by extrapolation. Creatinine clearance was 1.94ml/min. or 0.87ml/min./100g body weight. No difference was found in creatinine clearance of rats between low phosphorus diet and control normal diet groups. Parathyroidectomy caused only a slight and statistically insignificant decrease in creatinine clearance. Renal net reabsorption of phosphorus increased by 26% after low phosphorus intake and 48% after parathyroidectomy. The result supports the view that the parathyroids have an influence on renal tubules.

View full abstract

By means of paper electrophoresis, the purified thyrotropic and gonadotropic substances were obtained. Some chemical and physiochemical characteristics of these substances have been established and comparative studies were made. Both substances were found in the γ-globulin fraction of ratserum. Contrary to gonadotropic substance, thyrotropic substance was unstable in the acid medium. The biologically active fractions of both substances contained galactose.

View full abstract