Induction of Arterial Hypertension in Normal and Adrenalectomized Rats given Cortisone Acetate

1. Marked hypertension was induced in adrenalectomized rats on a sodium-restricted intake by the administration of cortisone acetate; on a similar regimen, adrenalectomized rats receiving DCA failed to become hypertensive. 2. The incorporation of a liberal amount of sodium in the diet of adrenalectomized rats receiving cortisone acetate resulted in a lesser degree of hypertension; whereas on a similar regimen, DCA-injected animals became strikingly hypertensive, as has been previously reported. 3. The presence of hypertension in the cortisone acetate-treated rats was not associated with histological evidence of renal damage or serum electrolyte disturbance, such as was observed in hypertensive animals receiving DCA. 4. The hypertension in sodium-restricted normal rats receiving cortisone acetate was less striking than in similarly treated adrenalectomized animals. On a liberal sodium intake similar degrees of hypertension were noted in both intact and adrenalectomized groups. 5. To approximate the loss of weight which occurred in cortisone acetate-injected rats, it was necessary to curtail the food intake of partially fasted control groups to 50 to 75 per cent of the amount consumed by the animals receiving the steroid. 6. The serum cholesterol levels of the cortisone acetate-injected rats were consistently and strikingly elevated as contrasted with normal, partially fasted, or DCA-treated animals.