Abstract
A number of investigators have recently 1 , 2 reported active extracts of the adrenal cortex, but at the time we were ready to use cortical extracts on test animals we were unable to find detailed directions for their preparation. As a result we have developed the following method.
Beef adrenals obtained from the slaughter house immediately after the kill are transported to the laboratory, packed in ice. The connective tissue and fat are dissected off, and the glands ground in a meat chopper equipped with a fine cutting disc. The minced glands are weighed and placed in 95% ethyl alcohol, one liter of alcohol per kilogram of gland, and allowed to stand in the cold over night. The next morning the alcohol is poured off, employing a coarse cheese cloth as a strainer. The alcohol is then filtered through a coarse filter paper and the filter washed with fresh alcohol. This alcohol, together with the washings, is saved.
The adrenals are placed in a continuous extraction apparatus and extracted with alcohol for 84 hours under reduced pressure, and at a temperature between 35°C. and 40°C. After extraction the alcohol extract is combined with the alcohol in which the glands were dehydrated and placed in the cold for 12 hours, during which period a white precipitate settles out. The extract is then filtered and concentrated to half its volume under reduced pressure and again filtered. The remaining alcohol is removed under reduced pressure and the aqueous residue placed in the cold for 24 hours.
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