Effects of Cortisone and ACTH

Abstract

This chapter describes the effects of cortisone and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The early investigations on the dog and rat, employing single doses of cortisone, suggested that its characteristic effect might be to increase urinary excretion of sodium and chloride. It was shown further in the partially depancreatized rat, and in the dog that cortisone and 17-hydroxycorticosterone may cause an increase in excretion of sodium and chloride. The physiological effects of ACTH depend on its ability to stimulate the adrenal cortices to increase their output of steroid hormones, some of them closely related to cortisone. Consequently, cortisone and ACTH have many effects in common. In many instances there is no definite line of demarcation between actions of the two agents. In this chapter, the effects of cortisone and ACTH are considered together, except in certain situations in which significant differences are apparent. Relation of glutathione to effects of ACTH and cortisone on carbohydrate metabolism is described. Effects on lymphoid tissue, blood lymphocytes, and eosinophils are discussed. Infections, bacterial allergic reactions and other inflammatory reactions are also described.