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Studies on the adrenal zona glomerulosa of hypertensive patients and rats with special reference to the effect of dietary salt restriction

1954; Elsevier BV; Volume: 17; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0002-9343(54)90245-4

1555-7162

Ernst Peschel, George J. Race,

Diet and metabolism studies

1.1. The zona glomerulosa of the adrenals of fifty-four hypertensive patients who died while on the salt-free rice diet was compared with that of twenty patients who died suddenly without preceding illness, with thirteen hypertensive patients on a normal diet, and with fifteen malnourished cancer patients. 2.2. Due to advanced renal insufficiency, serum electrolyte disturbances including hyponatremia occurred terminally in thirty-five of the fifty-four patients on the rice diet. 3.3. The width of the zona glomerulosa of the patients on the rice diet was found to be increased significantly, by statistical methods, in 24 per cent of the cases. It was within the normal range in 70 per cent and insignificantly below the normal range in 6 per cent. 4.4. Hypertensive rats on a salt-free diet compared to hypertensive rats on diets with normal salt content showed a marked increase in width of the zona glomerulosa. Similarly, normal rats on a salt-free diet compared to normal rats on a normal diet showed a marked increase in width of the zona glomerulosa. The latter observation is in agreement with the observations of several other authors. 5.5. The cytoplasmic fat content was decreased in the human adrenals when the width of the zona glomerulosa was greater than normal, and was the same as in the controls when the width was in the normal range. Special histochemical staining technics identified the cytoplasmic fat as ketosteroid in type. 6.6. No conclusions can be drawn regarding the role of the adrenal cortex in the genesis of hypertension. 7.7. In regard to the influence of the rice diet on the adrenal cortex, definite cortical atrophy, such as would indicate reduced cortical activity, was not observed in a single instance. 8.8. The increased width and decreased fat content of the zona glomerulosa are interpreted as evidence of increased hormone production without storage. It is suggested that this may be due to the decreased sodium:potassium ratio which stimulates the production of electrolyte-regulating corticoids.