4-2 Salt Treatment and Adrenalectomy 



tomized rats maintained for several months on i.o per cent sodium chloride 

 excrete less of an injected tracer dose of radioactive sodium than normal rats 

 given 1.0 per cent sodium chloride for the same period of time. 



5. Carbohydrate Metabolism 



A. Intestinal Absorption of Glucose.— A decrease in the absorption of glu- 

 cose has been observed in adrenalectomized animals. This was first reported by 

 Wilbrandt and LengyeP from Verzar's laboratory. Their absorption studies 

 were carried out on rats between the third and sixth day after adrenalectomy. 

 On the other hand, Deuel, Hallman, Murray and Samuels"" found that the 

 absorption of glucose was normal in adrenalectomized rats which had been 

 kept on the Rubin- Krick salt solution for 1 2 to 20 days postoperatively. The 

 use of salt in the latter experiments accounts for the difference in the results 

 of these two groups of workers, for as Althausen, Anderson and Stockholm"^ 

 have shown, adrenalectomy markedly diminishes intestinal absorption of 

 glucose while the use of 1.0 per cent sodium chloride after adrenalectomy 

 restores the absorption of glucose to normal. Moreover, Anderson, Herring 

 and Joseph^® have found that rats maintained in good health from 10 to 176 

 days postadrenalectomy are able to absorb glucose almost as well as normal 

 animals. (Tables 3 and 4.) 



B. Storage of Fed Glucose.— It has been stated by Long, Katzin and Fry^" that 

 adrenalectomized animals that are well fed may show normal levels of glycogen 

 in the liver and muscles. It has not been generally recognized that this capacity 

 of the adrenalectomized animal to store fed glucose is dependent upon an 

 optimal intake of sodium chloride. Anderson, Herring and Joseph"' found 

 that adrenalectomized rats given the stock diet and 1.0 per cent sodium 

 chloride to drink absorbed fed glucose and stored liver glycogen in amounts 

 which approached the normal level; on the other hand, the animals which 

 were on tap water in place of the salt solution had significantly lower levels 

 of liver glycogen even though the absorption of glucose was only slightly im- 

 paired. These data have been summarized in table 3 under groups I and II. 

 These findings lend support to the contention of Britton^" that "in the absence 

 of the adrenal the animal is unable to fix or synthesize glycogen in the liver 

 to any noteworthy degree," but they also show that the giving of salt in op- 

 timal amounts corrects to a large extent this disability. The giving of an excess 

 amount of salt diminishes the ability of the adrenalectomized rat to store fed 

 glucose. This is shown in group III of table 3. The rats of this group were 

 given 4 cc. of 5.0 per cent sodium chloride four times a day. The adrenalec- 

 tomized rats so treated were in a state of health comparable to adrenalecto- 

 mized rats on a low salt intake. 



The adrenalectomized rat on an optimal intake of salt retains the capacity 

 to absorb fed glucose and to store it as liver glycogen for several months after 

 operation (Anderson, Herring and Joseph"**). The data on this are summarized 



