Potentiation of the life-maintaining activity of desoxycorticosterone by sodium salts and water

¹ Biological Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

Adrenalectomized dogs, symptom-free, are readily maintained by injection of 0.5 mg/day of desoxycorticosterone (DOC) plus a small salt supplement, but fasted animals can not be revived from severe insufficiency by mineralocorticoid. Evidently the Na and water in food potentiates the life-maintaining activity of DOC since their administration readily restores activity and vigor to the prostrate animal. Thus mineralocorticoids plus salt and water can maintain a normal electrolyte pattern in the extracellular fluids by regulating renal excretion and retention of Na, Cl and K but they apparently are unable to mobilize fluid and electrolytes from extravascular sites of starved adrenal insufficient dogs and shift them to the intravascular compartment for maintaining the plasma volume. Glucocorticoids induce recovery of such starved, dehydrated, adrenalectomized animals in absence of exogenous sources of food and water. The presence of oxygen functions at C₁₁ and C₁₇ of adrenal steroids confers upon the molecule ability to mobilize and regulate internal shifts of water and electrolyte between extra- and intravascular compartments.