Abstract
The resistance of suprarenalectomized rats to toxins, poisons, bacterial and protozoan infections is markedly depressed. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 The height of susceptibility is reached at the end of the first week following bilateral suprarenalectomy. Suprarenalectomized rats succumb to small doses of typhoid vaccine. 4 In previous experiments typhoid vaccine has been used as a gauge of suprarenal insufficiency.
In the experiments here reported the protective effect of an extract of the cortex of the suprarenal gland prepared by us according to the method of F. A. Hartman 6 was determined.
Three months old adult suprarenalectomized rats were used. Injections of a highly concentrated extract∗ of cortex were administered twice daily intraperitoneally. The M.L.D. for suprarenalectomized rats of a batch of typhoid vaccine was determined. The experiment was divided into 4 groups. One group of 17 rats received cortical extract twice daily from the day of operation to the end of the experiment. Of these, 4 rats were injected on the sixth day with one M.L.D., 5 were injected with 2 M.L.D., 4 with 4 M.L.D., and 4 with 6 M.L.D. of typhoid vaccine. A second group of 10 rats received equivalent amounts of salt solution. These were injected on the sixth day with one M.L.D. A third group of 8 rats was untreated and on the sixth day after operation these were injected with one M.L.D of typhoid vaccine. A fourth group of 4 rats received cortical extract during only the 24-hour period before and after the injection of one M.L.D. of typhoid vaccine on the sixth day.
Results: The rats of Group 1 that had been repeatedly injected with cortical extract survived as much as 4 M.L.D of typhoid vaccine. The rats injected with 6 M.L.D. died and one with 4 M.L.D died.
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