Studies in histochemistry: effects of stress conditions, ACTH, cortisone, desoxycorticosterone and hypophysectomy on the quantitative histological distribution of phenolsulfatase and acetylcholinesterase in the rat adrenal.

Abstract

THE quantitative histological distribution of phenolsulfatase (Glick, Stccklein and Malmstrom, 1955) and acetylcholinesterase (Antopol and Glick, 1940) in the adrenal gland of various species was reported earlier. The greatest phenolsulfatase activity was found in the fascicular and reticular zones of the rat, rabbit and hog adrenal and in the fascicular zone of the dog adrenal, but negligible activity was demonstrated in all regions of the cow and monkey gland. Considerable acetylcholinesterase activity was observed in the medulla of bovine, pig and rabbit adrenals but little activity was found in any cortical zone in any of the species. The effects of stress conditions, hormonal treatments and hypophysectomy on the adrenal have been studied more extensively in the rat than in other laboratory animals, and consequently the rat adrenal was used in the present investigation to permit comparisons. For the phenolsulfatase work the rats were subjected to chilling, turpentine abscesses, hypophysectomy and inje...