Abstract
It has been noted that pitocin increased the metabolic rate of rats, while pituitrin and pitressin decreased the oxygen consumption. 1 In the present experiments the effects of 20 to 30 cc.∗ of chloretonefree solution of each of the 3 posterior pituitary extracts were observed on 3 unanesthetized and 2 amytalized dogs. Subcutaneous injections were made at half hourly intervals and blood samples drawn every 2 hours for 6 hours were analyzed for lactic acid.
The 3 unanesthetized animals that received pitressin showed a consistent increase in lactic acid so that the results of any one of these may be taken as representative. In each of the 3 experiments, by the end of the second hour lactic acid had increased at least 20 mg. per cent, and then gradually diminished until the sixth
hour when the lactic acid had returned to the preinjection level. One of the 3 dogs that were given pituitrin exhibited a similar rise in lactic acid. The other 2 animals as well as the 3 which were given pitocin, had variations in the concentration of lactic acid which were within the experimental error (±2.5 mg.%). With amytal there were no significant changes in lactic acid after the administration of any of the posterior pituitary extracts. Our task is to make further studies of the character of the metabolism during the depression of the metabolic rate.
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