ACCLIMATIZATION TO COLD: OBSERVATIONS ON THE MECHANISM OF THE REDUCED IMMEDIATE ADRENAL RESPONSE

Abstract

The incorporation of inorganic phosphorus labelled with P32 into the inorganic phosphorus of the adrenal gland was measured in rats acclimatized to cold for 4 weeks. Previously it was reported that the immediate pituitary–adrenal response to brief cold exposure (2 hours at −5 °C), as judged by the increased P32 incorporation is considerably decreased in rats that have been acclimatized. Some observations are now reported on the mechanism of this reduced immediate response.The administration of ACTH, pitressin, or adrenaline caused similar increases in the adrenal phosphorus metabolism in acclimatized and non-acclimatized control rats. Acclimatization could still be demonstrated in rats after the fur had been removed by clipping.From these results it is concluded that the decreased immediate pituitary–adrenal response to an exposure to more severe cold, observed in acclimatized rats, is not the result of an increased fur thickness, nor is it the result of a decreased sensitivity of the adrenal tissue to ACTH, or to a decreased sensitivity of the pituitary or hypothalamus to a given stimulus. It is suggested that the reduction in the immediate pituitary–adrenal response to a more severe cold stress in acclimatized rats might be due to an alteration in the sensitivity of the peripheral nerve receptors, or in the mechanism, nervous or otherwise, whereby the pituitary is stimulated.