Der Einfluß von Nebennieren und Cortisol auf die Esterasen der Leber

Abstract

1. The influence of adrenals on the spectrum of carboxylesterases (E.C. 3.1.1.1.) of rat liver has been studied in adrenalectomized, shamoperated and adrenalectomized cortisoltreated animals by histoehemical and quantitative biochemical methods and by electrophoretic isoenzyme analysis. 2. The activity of esterases is histochemically in normal range one day after operation. Later on up to 13 days there is a decreased activity of esterases in the peripheric zone of the liver lobules in all groups. This decrease of enzymatic activity is strong in the adrenalectomized and shamoperated groups and stronger in the adrenalectomized and cortisoltreated animals. 3. The total activity and the specific activity of esterases is similar in adrenalectomized and shamoperated animals. The loss of activity in these groups increases from the 2. to the 12. day after operation. The strongest loss of activity is found in the microsomal fraction of adrenalectomized cortisoltreated animals. A humoral factor is supposed to cause this loss of enzymatic activity in the peripheric zone of the liver lobules. In contrast to prior presumption this factor can not only originate from the adrenal glands. 4. The isoenzymes of esterases of the microsomal fraction of rat liver decreases in an equal percentage in adrenalectomized and shamoperated rats. In late stages of the experiments adrenalectomy and treatment by cortisol causes an increase of the percentage activity of the 1. isoenzyme fraction and a decrease of the percentage activity of the 11. and 12. isoenzyme fraction. Therefore it is possible to influence the activity of some isoenzymes of esterases by cortisol.