Effects of Prolactin and Cortical Hormones on Body Weight and Food Intake of Adrenalectomized Pigeons

Abstract

SummaryAdrenalectomized young Carneau pigeons fed 1.75 g of a salt mixture daily showed an average period of survival of 9 days. Such pigeons eat little food and lose weight. Prolactin induced more than normal gains in body weight when adrenal insufficiency was not acute and restored food intake to a level almost equal to that of unoperated birds. Either adrenal cortical extract or desoxycorticosterone acetate maintained life in adrenalectomized pigeons. Daily doses of 2 mg of desoxycorticosterone acetate fully restored the rate of increase of body weight and the daily food consumption to levels characteristic of normal unoperated pigeons. A group of birds given high dosage of both prolactin and adrenal cortical extract showed more rapid gains in body weight and larger food intake than has ever been observed in normal unoperated pigeons of the age used here.