Abstract
Summary
Rats were fed on hepatocarcino-genic diet (CD) for 2, 4, 7 and 17 weeks. Intact and gonadectomized, male and female rats, some with and others without hormonal implants were also fed CD for 17 weeks. Total fat, “steroids/”corticosteroids, and ascorbic acid were determined on adrenal glands, liver and tumor. Rats fed CD showed rise in fat, “steroid” and ascorbic acid values as early as 2 weeks and continued high through the experimental period. Adrenocorticosteroid values in intact CD fed rats were 30% higher at 17 weeks than those in control rats. Gonad-ectomy lowered in males and increased in females steroid values over those in comparable intact rats. Stilbesterol and testosterone implants respectively, in these rats, reversed this effect. It is suggested that high adrenal steroid values indicate increased secretion of adrenocortical hormones, which are necessary to promote the growth of altered cells to a recognizable tumor mass.
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