Mineralocorticoid hypertensive cardiovascular disease induced in hypophysectomized rats.

EXPERIMENTAL hypertensive cardiovascular disease is easily induced in the rat by desoxycorticosterone acetate (DCA) especially, although by no means exclusively, in animals sensitized by augmented sodium intake and removal of a kidney.' Other mineralocorticoid steroids, differing quantitatively in potency, have the same effect.' Depending upon the circumstances of the experiment, either benign or malignant hypertension may develop in the rat; such responses command much interest because of their possible relationship to certain forms of human hypertensive disease. The role of various endocrine glands in the etiology and pathogenesis of mineralocortieoid-induced hypertensive disease has been studied in some detail. Pituitary dependency has been suggested by reports that hypophysectomy prior to DCA treatment prevents hypertension," whereas if performed on animals already hypertensive will restore the blood pressure to normal, regardless of whether steroid treatment is stopped,' or continued.' n This reported indispensability of the pituitary gland has led to the view that desoxycorticosterone requires for its hypertensive effect some specific hypophysial hormone of either known or unknown nature. Recently, however, it has been possible to demonstrate that DCA produces hypertensive cardiovascular disease in the sensitized rat in which the hypophysis has been removed from the sella turciea and transplanted to the renal capsule.Such autografts are known to secrete