The dose response in man to oral and injected lipo-adrenal cortical extract.

Abstract

THE oral administration of adrenal cortical extract (ACE) was reported by Osier in a case of Addison's disease over fifty years ago (1). A comparison of the effectiveness in Addison's disease of a glycerol extract of adrenals, given orally and injected as reported by Thorn et al. (2), indicated that two and a half times the parenteral amount of hormone was needed orally for equal effect. However, Conn and Silverman (3) showed that the oral requirement was one half of that needed for injection. In both of these publications there were reported physiologic changes such as the increase in potassium output and the retention of sodium, attesting to the effectiveness of the orally administered hormone. Metabolic changes also have been reported by Freeman and his colleagues at the Worcester State Hospital (4, 5) when extract of the adrenal cortex was given orally to schizophrenic patients. Decrease in lymphocytes was observed, together with alteration in the urine output as well as changes in the specific gravit...