Effects of desoxycorticosterone upon the toxic actions of somatotrophic hormone.

Abstract

Summary and Conclusions1. Experiments on rats—sensitized to mineralo-corticoid actions by unilateral nephrectomy and a high sodium intake—showed that somatotrophic hormone (STH) shares with desoxycorticoster-one acetate (DCA) the ability to produce: cardiac hypertrophy with histologic signs of a rheumatic-like myocarditis, hypertension, renal enlargement with microscopic evidence of malignant nephrosclerosis and an increased water turnover with proteinuria. 2. All these actions are greatly increased when STH and DCA are administered simultaneously, except for the rise in blood-pressure. The failure to develop hypertension under the influence of the two preparations may well be due to the fact that this hormone combination is extremely toxic and causes pronounced edema with obvious deterioration in the physical state of the animals. 3. It is concluded that STH sensitizes the tissues to the production of “collagen-disease-like” lesions by DCA. 4. STH also causes adrenocortical enlargement and prevents the c...