Abstract
Summary
Administration of 0.1 USP U ACTH to 9-day-old rats followed by similar treatments twice daily through Day 24 produced elevated serum corticosterone levels compared with saline-injected control values 1 hr after the last injection at 15, 18, 21, and 24 days of age. The concentration of serum gamma globulin was significantly lower in the ACTH-treated rats than in saline controls at 15, 18, 21, and 24 days postpartum, possibly due to premature termination of intestinal absorption of gamma globulin in the ACTH-treated group. The serum gamma globulin concentration increased in control rats between days 9 and 18, then declined between Days 21 and 24, while in the ACTH-treated rats, the level did not increase significantly between Days 9 and 15, and fell between 15 and 21 days of age. This experiment indicates that elevated concentrations of corticosterone, the primary glucocorticoid in rats, reduce the serum gamma globulin level during the neonatal period.
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