Role of the adrenal in ethionine mobilization of fat

¹ Department of Physiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

We have shown that ethionine increases the liver lipid in normal fasted mice but this effect is not accentuated by epinephrine. Likewise ethionine increases lipid in the liver of fasted mice with demedullated adrenals while epinephrine produces no significant increase. In the adrenalectomized mouse epinephrine did augment deposition of lipid in the liver when combined with an amount of cortisone too small to be effective per se. A somewhat larger dose of cortisone was just as effective as these two substances combined. Still greater amounts failed to increase the effect. A dose of adrenal extract sufficient to maintain normal behavior and a satisfactory weight gain, proved inadequate for the normal response to ethionine probably due to the absence of an essential hormone. However it was as effective as any dose of cortisone.