The influence of bacterial exotoxins on the non-protein-SH content of the tissues of different animal species.

Cortisone acetate (Long & Miles, 1950) and hydro. cortisone (Long & Spensley, 1954) depress sensitivity to tuberculin in guinea pigs. This desensitization does not occur in guinea pigs mildly deficient in ascorbic acid, and is thought to be associated with the oxidation of ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid. There appears to exist an antagonism between corticosteroid desensitizing agents and glutathione in that injection of reduced glutathione prevents desensitization in all cases (Long, 1954). From these findings it has been suggested that adrenocortical activity is intimately concerned in -SH metabolism. There is evidence that adrenocortical stimulation or the injection of corticotrophin or of cortisone acetate decreases blood non-protein -SH. Cortisone has been shown to cause a decrease in blood glutathione in the rat proportional to the glycosuria produced (Lazarow & Berman, 1950). Several workers have shown that in man, cortisone treatment results in decreased blood glutathione proportional to the increase in blood sugar (Hess, Kyle & Doolan, 1951; Goldzeiher, Epstein, Rawls & Goldzeiher, 1953; Kass, Ingbar & Finland, 1950). In agreement with this, Conn and his colleagues (Conn, Louis & Wheeler, 1948; Conn, Louis & Johnston, 1949a, b) have shown that corticotrophin induced hyperglycaemia and a fall in blood non-protein -SH in man, and that pretreatment with glutathione alleviated the hyperglycaemia.