An improved method for adrenalectomy of suckling rats. The influence of thrombin treatment and deoxycorticosterone substitution on survival and on hepatic and renal enzyme activities.

: Adrenalectomy of suckling rats is complicated by a high mortality rate, caused by the loss of blood (early mortality) and by the disturbed sodium-potassium balance (late mortality). Treatment of the abdominal cavity with a thrombin solution and a daily administration of deoxycorticosterone glucoside (DOC) decrease the total mortality remarkably. DOC treatment has no influence on renal beta-glucosidase and beta-galactosidase as well as on hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity, whereas hepatic serine dehydratase activity exhibits a time- and dosage-dependent response to this hormone. The DOC effect is very likely a consequence of the glucocorticoid-like action of the synthetic hormone, which competes with the endogenous glucocorticoids for the hepatic receptor molecules.