Adrenal mitochondrial and serum corticosteroid studies in rats resistant to adrenal-regeneration hypertension (ARH)

Endocrinology. 1976 Oct;99(4):1080-4. doi: 10.1210/endo-99-4-1080.

Abstract

Female rats of the Wistar-Furth (W/Fu) strain appear to be resistant to the development of adrenal regeneration hypertension. At a time period, after adrenal enucleation, when Holtzman female rats had elevated serum 11-deoxycorticosterone levels and were hypertensive, none of the W/Fu rats became hypertensive. In vitro adrenal studies after quiescent kills of W/Fu rats indicated that cholesterol side chain cleavage activity was greater in mitochondria from regenerating adrenals than from controls. Both serum deoxycorticosterone and corticosterone levels were significantly greater in the adrenal-enucleated group. These studies were repeated in animals which were given a standard ether anesthetic stress. Ether stress increased cholesterol side chain cleavage activity comparably in control and adrenal-enucleated rats and also increased their serum deoxycorticosterone and corticosterone levels. Adrenal-enucleated Wistar-Furth rats had higher serum deoxycorticosterone levels than controls, whereas controls had higher serum corticosterone levels than the adrenal-enucleated group after the ether stress. These results indicate that although the adrenal-enucleated W/Fu rats have increased serum deoxycorticosterone levels, none of these rats develop frank hypertension. This suggests a resistance to deoxycorticosterone-induced hypertension in this strain of rat.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adrenal Glands / physiology*
  • Adrenal Glands / ultrastructure
  • Animals
  • Corticosterone / biosynthesis
  • Corticosterone / blood
  • Desoxycorticosterone / blood*
  • Hypertension / etiology*
  • Male
  • Mitochondria / enzymology
  • Mitochondria / metabolism
  • Pregnenolone / biosynthesis
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred Strains / physiology*
  • Rats, Inbred WF / physiology*
  • Regeneration
  • Stress, Physiological / blood
  • Stress, Physiological / metabolism

Substances

  • Desoxycorticosterone
  • Pregnenolone
  • Corticosterone