Effects of maternal bilateral adrenalectomy on skin development.

he adrenal gland is important in producing steroids, both corticosteroids and mineral corticoids. If the adrenal gland does not produce these hormones, the loss leads to devastating effects in nearly every organ system, and eventually death. Patients may first experience weight loss, muscle weakness, fatigue, low blood pressure, and sometimes darkening of the skin. Some critical functions of the steroids include maintenance of blood pressure, regulation of insulin, and regulation of the breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Chronically elevated glucocorticoids, either because of increased endogenous secretion (such as in psychogenic amenorrhea, anorexia nervosa, Cushing's syndrome and marathon runners) or exogenous administration, have adverse effects on the reproductive system.1 In this study, our purpose is to investigate the effects of adrenalectomy (maternal adrenal hormones deficiency) on the skin of puppy rats. Ten fertile Wistar albino female rats were obtained from the University of Dicle, Medical Science and Application Center (DUSAM). Ten adult Wistar albino female rats were maintained and fed with an standard pellet food ad libitum during the study. All animals received human care according to the criteria outlined in the ‘Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals’’ prepared by the National Academy of Sciences and published by the National Institutes of Health. The experiments were approved by the Committee on Experimental Animal Ethics of University of Dicle. The ambient temperature (22°C) and relative humidity (45%) were maintained throughout the experiments. The rats were divided randomly into 2 groups: Group I: the animals served as control (n=5). Group II: under ketamine HCl (50 mg/kg) and xylazine (10 mg/kg) anesthesia, the bilateral adrenal glands were removed (ADX) (n=5). The rat were given 20 g/day saline and 1.1% calcium drink water ad libitum after surgery to prevent dehydration Addison crisis. The rats were allowed 21 days of recovery, following which they were fertilized. The control and experimental group produced 65 puppy rats. Twenty-four, 7-day-old puppy rats were selected randomly, and sacrificed with ketamine HCl. The abdominal skins were pinned out on dental wax to their length and placed immediately in a 10% phosphate-buffered formalin solution at pH 7.4 for 4 hours. Tissue pieces were chosen at random, T Brief Communication