An aberration of glucose metabolism and steroidogenesis in adrenals of thiamin-deficient rats.

Abstract

Rats were fed a thiamin-deficient(TD) casein-sucrose diet for 32-35 days and controls were pair-fed the same diet with thiamin added. When compared to the pair-fed controls, TD rats had significantly lower rises in plasma corticosterone in response to ether vapor and to ACTH injection. The half-time of iv injected radioactive corticosterone was similar in both groups. Quartered adrenals from TD rats produced significantly less corticosterone in response to ACTH added to the incubation media than adrenals from pair-fed controls. Severe thiamin deficiency was confirmed by the markedly decreased in vitro transketolase activity observed in adrenal and red blood cell (RBC) and by the low activity of pyruvate decarboxylase observed in adrenals. A marked in vitro thiamin pyrophosphate effect was observed only in the activities of RBC transketolase and adrenal pyruvate decarboxylase of TD rats. The effect was trivial in RBC's and adrenals from pair-fed controls. ACTH produced negligible stimulation of 1-14C- and ...