Are There Unidentified Factors in the Control of Aldosterone Secretion

During the last decade, a substantial amount of evidence has accumulated to show that there are at least four factors involved in the regulation of aldosterone secretion. These include the primary regulatory mechanism, the renin-angiotensin system, ACTH and the plasma concentrations of sodium and potassium. In recent years, investigators have continued to search for additional factors that might be involved. Anephric man provides a useful model in which to look for extrarenal control mechanisms for aldosterone secretion, and several groups of investigators1 , 2 have studied the factors that influence the plasma aldosterone level in this model. Another study is described in . . .