The Distribution of Body Water and Electrolytes in Adrenal Insufficiency 1

Abstract

The mode of action of the hormone of the adrenal cortex necessary for life has been the subject of much discussion. Among the prominent hypotheses for explaining the symptoms of adrenal cortical insufficiency are loss of sodium and chloride with accompanying changes in the distribution of body water (1, 2, 3); toxic effects of potassium (4,5,6,7); disturbance in the distribution of body water not clearly related to loss of sodium or retention of potassium (8); and disturbances in metabolism or carbohydrate (9). Since it seems, at present, bootless to attempt to relate the anomalies in carbohydrate metabolism to the disturbances in metabolism of water and electrolyte, this aspect of the function of the adrenal cortex will not be discussed. The present investigation was undertaken to determine by tissue analyses the actual distribution of water and electrolyte in the tissues of adrenalectomized rats in relation to the toxic action of potassium and the therapeutic effect of sodium salts. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Healthy male albino rats weighing approximately 200 grams were adrenalectomized under ether anesthesia via the usual lumbar route. The majority of the animals were fed a low potassium diet of the following composition: lactalbumin 15 per cent, sucrose 25 per cent, dextrin 32 per cent, crisco 22 per cent, cod liver oil 1 per cent, yeast powder 2 per cent, bone ash 2 per cent and NaCl 1 per cent. One group of animals was fed a ration containing 1.5 grams of K,HPO, per 100 grams of the above diet. Diet 1 on analysis, was found to contain 0.03 per cent potassium whereas Diet 2 contained 0.7 per cent potassium. The animals were given distilled water, and the food and water intakes were measured daily.The adrenalectomized animals were divided into groups and treated as follows. The animals of the first group were sacrificed when symptoms of severe adrenal insufficiency were manifest. The time of onset of symptoms was exceedingly variable on Diet 1 so that the rats could not be sacrificed at stated intervals after operation if comparable results were to be obtained. Immediately after sacrificing the animals, the livers were removed and a sample of muscle was dissected off rapidly and freed of fat and connective tissue. The skin was removed in toto and the remainder of the carcass treated separately. All of the tissues were put into covered receptacles, weighed and then placed in an oven at 105°C. and dried until constant weight was attained.The dried tissues were ground to a powder in a small food chopper. The dried powdered tissues were kept in glass stoppered flasks and aliquots taken for analysis.One cubic centimeter samples of serum were accurately weighed in platinum dishes and the water content obtained by drying 24 hours in an oven at 1050 C. The dried residue was ashed in a furnace at 5000 C. for 2 hours.Serum chloride was determined by the method of Van Slyke and Sendroy (10). The tissue chloride was determined after ashing the material at 4500 C. in the presence of a large excess of sodium carbonate. Th...

Depletion of Carcass Potassium in Rats Made Hypertensive With Desoxycorticosterone Acetate (DCA) and With Cortisone

“…In contrast there was overhydration in the adrenalectomized rats given no steroid supplement. In the salt depleted group (Group VII) this overhydration was clearly intracellular and is compatible with similar changes reported previously in muscle (22,23). Over-hydration was also evident in the companion group (Group III) afforded a liberal sodium intake, though in this instance, the decrease in the nitrogen values expressed as per cent of fat-free wet weight makes it likely that some portion of the excess fluid was stored extracellularly.…”

Changes in Muscle Composition in Alkalosis 1

“…As shown in Table II, the low concentration of muscle chloride indicates a low volume of extracellular water and a high volume of intracellular water. Intracellular sodium is not statistically increased and intracellular potassium does not show the increase in muscle potassium shown by rats with adrenal insufficiency in which a similar rise in serum potassium was found (14,15). The increase in intracellular water is explained by the decrease in concentration of sodium in extracellular water (10).…”

“…Within the cells, Boyle and Conway's theory predicts that there will be a rise in intracellular potassium accompanying an increase in the concentration of potassium in extracellular fluid. High concentration of potassium in serum and an increase in muscle potassium per 100 grams of fat-free solids has been found in adrenal insufficiency and after nephrectomy (14,15). However, Conway and Boyle did not take into account the presence of intracellular sodium.…”

A Study of the Effects of Excessive Potassium Intake upon Body Potassium Stores1

“…Thus Figure 3, which presents observations on rats, dogs and man, shows that intracellular storage amounting to as much as 6 per cent of normal body potassium content may occur when the extracellular potassium concentration is abruptly elevated to 10 mEq. per liter (13,(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22).4 In the rat, the quantity thus stored is equal to about one quarter of the animal's usual daily intake (about 2.5 mEq. per 180 Gm.…”