Aldosterone producing capacity of adrenal glands of sodium-restricted pregnant rats
Khokhar, S.A.; Pike, R.L.
Journal of Nutrition 103(8): 1126-1130
1973
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-3166 PMID: 4719724 Document Number: 62968
Female rats were given normal or Na-restricted diets with Na 31.7 or 1.4 m-equiv/100 g diet. On days 1, 18 and 22 of pregnancy rats were killed and the adrenals were removed and incubated individually in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution. An internal standard, 45 ng aldosterone, was added to one of each pair of adrenals. Aldosterone was isolated from the incubation medium by paper chromatography and estimated fluorometrically. Hourly production in day 1 was 12 ng/mg adrenal. In control rats it reached 27 ng on day 18. There was no further change from day 18 to 22. In Na-restricted rats aldosterone production reached 45 ng by day 18 and then fell to 27 ng on day 22. The significant decrease in aldosterone production after day 18 in Na-restricted pregnant rats indicated inability to maintain the high output of aldosterone despite continued stimulation of Na restriction and pregnancy.