THE EFFECT OF DESICCATED THYROID, (u-DINITRO- PHENOL, AND CORTICAL HORMONE EXTRACT ON THE VITAMIN C CONTENT OF SOME ORGANS OF THE GUINEA PIG FED GRADED DOSES OF ASCORBIC ACID*

Certain organs and glands of animals (whether susceptible to scurvy or not) have been shown by biological tests and reduction with the indophenol indicator to contain ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in higher concentration than most of the other tissues. Thus, the anterior lobe of the pituitary, corpus luteum, thymus, suprarenals, and, to a lesser extent the liver, are rich in the vitamin. The ascorbic acid content (1, 2) as well as the oxygen consumption (3) of organs decreased on the onset of scurvy. A close relationship has long been evident in vitamin C and the respiratory as well as the metabolic rate of the different organs. Localized concentration of vitamin C in the suprarenals has been ascribed for the maintenance of the normal functional activities of that organ (4). It has been definitely established that the metabolic rate of organs is increased by administration of the thyroid hormone and by a-dinitrophenol. The specific effect of the thyroid hormone on the calcium metabolism (5), as well as an increase in weight of the thyroid gland (6) in scorbutic guinea pigs, has been described. The purpose of this investigation was to clear up the disputed relationship between the cortical hormone and vitamin C as well as to observe the effect of desiccated thyroid and cr-dinitrophenol on guinea pigs fed different amounts of vitamin C.