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Aldosterone excretion in hypopituitarism and after hypophysectomy in man

1960; Elsevier BV; Volume: 28; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0002-9343(60)90186-8

1555-7162

E.J. Ross, W. VANʼT HOFF, J. Crabbé, George W. Thorn,

Pituitary Gland Disorders and Treatments

UGGESTIONS that secretion of the sodiumretaining hormone of the adrenal cortex was not principally under the control of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (corticotropin) of the anterior pituitary gland had been made previous to the discovery of aldosterone [7]. The evidence was derived in part from histological studies of changes in the adrenal gland following hypophysectomy in animals. In contrast to the atrophy present in the zona fasciculata and zona reticularis, the zona glomerulosa was unchanged or even hypertrophied in the hypophysectomised rat [2], monkey [3] and dog [4], although the latter has been disputed [S]. Hypertrophy of the zona fasciculata and zona reticularis, but not of the zona glomerulosa, had been noted in the monkey following stimulation by corticotropin [3], but not in the dog [S]. Suppression of anterior pituitary function by the administration of cortisone resulted in reduction of the width of the zona reticularis and zona fasciculata, but not of the zona glomerulosa, in the monkey [3] and in the dog [6]. These and other histologic studies led to the conclusion that the zona glomerulosa in animals, with the possible exception of the dog, is independent of pituitary control. In these animals the zona glomerulosa is believed to be responsible for the secretion of aldosterone [7-g]. More direct evidence that the presence of corticotropin is not essential for aldosterone production or release is found in the reports of normal or near normal quantities of aldosterone in the urine of patients with hypopituitarism [ 70,771 and of the persistence of aldosterone secretion (although possibly at lower levels than in the normal subject) in patients [II] and in animals [72,73] following removal of the hypophysis. The results of corticotropin administration on the production of aldosterone by the adrenal cortex are by no means clear cut. The perfusion of calf adrenal glands with corticotropin re