Direct Action of Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone on Lipase in the Adrenal Gland of the Rat

MANY investigations have demonstrated that the adrenal gland of the rat is extremely rich in lipids1, and cholesterol esters and triglycerides together represent approximately 90–95 per cent of the total adrenal lipids2. A large amount of histological work has demonstrated that stress, or the administration of adrenocorticotrophin, causes depletion of fats in the adrenal glands and that there is probably a close but unknown relation between adrenal fats and the functional activity of the gland3–5. It is clear that changes in the adrenal lipids under varying conditions of stimulation are of considerable importance. Pigafetta and Macchitella6 investigated the adrenal glands of rats by histological and histochemical methods and demonstrated that depletion of lipids in the adrenal cortex takes place in consequence of the action of the adrenal lipase which is activated by ACTH administered in vivo over a long period before the experiments.