Function of the adrenal cortex and the adrenal medulla in diabetics.

The importance of the adrenal cortex in diabetes mellitus has been emphasized since the demonstration that the removal of the adrenals would lead to amelioration of diabetes in a depancreatectomized animal,) and that the administration of adrenal extract or hormones would produce an experimental diabetes.2) It is well known that the tumors or hyperplasia of the adrenal cortex are often associated with diabetes mellitus. Many have described the function of the adrenal cortex in diabetics, however such reports have always lacked full agreement. At the same time, the adrenal medulla has not been considered as having an important role in the occurrence of diabetes mellitus because epinephrine does not produce a permanent diabetes although it does produce transitory hyperglycemia3) and because of the lack of effect of ablation of the adrenal medulla on the depancreatectomized diabetic animals4>. Several cases of pheochromocytoma associated with diabetes mellitus, however, have been reported and the diabetic state has been improved by the removal of the neoplasma.5>6)7) Recently the content of catecholamine has been estimated by in vitro method and its significance in diabetes mellitus has been gradually re-examined. Only a few reports, however, have been made on the content of catecholamine in diabetics. In this study, fluctuations in the function of the adrenal cortex and the adrenal medulla of diabetics after treatment were observed. That is, the plasma content of 17-OHCS, urinary 17-OHCS and 17-KS, uropepsin, eosinophil cells in blood and their response to the administration of ACTH and urinary adrenaline and noradrenaline excretion were estimated before and after therapy in diabetics admitted to our Department.