ABSTRACT. The pars intermedia of the pituitary gland, and plasma ACTH and cortisol levels in the pony, which was first diagnosed in Japan as indicating equine Cushing's disease, were examined by immunohistochemistry and radioimmunoassay, respectively. The pars intermedia was greatly enlarged and most of its cells were immunoreactive for antisera to both adenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and β-endorphin (β-End). The plasma ACTH level was elevated when clinical symptoms appeared. The present results reveal that equine Cushing's disease in this pony was induced by the hypersecretion of ACTH and β-End from the enlarged pars intermedia of the pituitary gland.-KEY WORDS: ACTH, Cushing's disease, pony.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.