Blood flow rates of intact and regenerated rat adrenals during stress

¹ Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts

Blood flow rates of intact rat adrenal glands and 30-day regenerated mesenteric transplants or enucleates were determined before and during stress. Venous flow rates were measured directly, and adrenal venous plasma and glandular corticoids were measured fluorimetrically. Arterial flow was determined by cardiac output fractionation employing Rb⁸⁶ before and after 4-hr exposure to 4 C. In rats subjected to laparotomy, venous flow rate from regenerated enucleated glands was 42% less than that from intact glands, and the plasma corticoid level was 29% lower, while the glandular level was 33% higher. Arterial inflow of intact adrenals, transplants, and enucleates was approximately the same without stress and increased by similar amounts during cold stress. The ratio of adrenal outflow-to-inflow during stress was lower for regenerated than for intact glands. These results suggest an adrenal vascular abnormality on the venous side of regenerated tissue which prevents release of corticoids into the systemic circulation at a normal rate.

Key Words: adrenocortical hormone release • adrenal blood flow and steroid output • regenerating adrenal gland venous outflow cold stress

Submitted on August 26, 1963

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. J. Kolthoff Microangiographic Visualization of Blood Distribution in Intact and Regenerated Rat Adrenals Before and During Cold Stress Angiology, August 1, 1964; 15(8): 344 - 349. [PDF]