Abstract
Summary
A method is described which permits both the ascorbic acid and corticosteroid content of the same adrenal gland to be determined. Adrenal response to the stress of unilateral adrenalectomy was investigated in normal and hydrocortisone-inhibited rats. Hydrocortisone administration prevented the ascorbic acid depletion which occurred in untreated animals in response to stress. The steroid-inhibited animals, however, exhibited an increase in adrenal corticosterone concentrations equal to that of the saline treated controls, although the basal level from which this increase occurred was markedly lower. It is suggested that pre-treatment with hydrocortisone may alter the physiological “set” at which the corticoid component of the stress response is operating, but does not inhibit the response itself.
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