Jane A. Russell 5 1 9 



tein only and not that from fed protein seems affected by adrenalectomy."' 

 The cortical hormone is also definitely a factor in liver-glycogcn deposition, 

 and it may possibly affect oxidation of carbohydrate, although whether the 

 latter is a direct or secondary effect is not now known. 



When it was first realized that the adrenal cortex might be a factor in 

 carbohydrate metabolism, it was thought by many workers that most or all of 

 the effects of the anterior pituitary might be mediated through the adrenal 

 cortex. Particularly, the w^ork of Long on the ameliorating effects of adrenalec- 

 tomy on pancreatic diabetes pointed to this interpretation, for it exactly 

 duplicated the effects of hypophysectomy in this regard.'" Most of the effects 

 of hypophysectomy which w^re known at that time, in fact, appeared expli- 

 cable on the basis of a decrease in gluconeogenesis in this condition. Some 

 experimental results obtained more recently do not agree with this interpre- 

 tation; but the fact remains that to a certain extent the functions of the hy- 

 pophysis and adrenal cortex in metabolism do overlap. To what extent the 

 hypophysis acts through the adrenal cortex and to what extent it may have 

 independent functions has been the subject of much recent work. 



Similarities between the effects of hypophysectomy and of adrenalectomy 

 in metabolism are evident on any inspection of data obtained in these states. 

 The most important of these similarities are the following: (a) The carbohy- 

 drate levels of adrenalectomized animals are normal when the animals are in 

 the unfasted state (that is, when they are given adequate amounts of salt and 

 their appetites are well maintained); bin, as in hypophysectomized animals, 

 there is a rapid loss of liver glycogen and lowering of the blood sugar when the 

 animals are fasted for even very short periods of time. In adrenalectomized 

 animals not well maintained, where anorexia is a prominent symptom, all 

 the carbohydrate stores may be low. The nitrogen excretion of adrenalecto- 

 mized animals is low during fasting; that of hypophysectomized animals has 

 also been reported to be low, but it is not always found so. An explanation 

 for this will be discussed shortly, (b) The amelioration of both pancreatic and 

 phlorizin diabetes by both adrenalectomy and by hypophysectomy is well 

 known. Both operations reduce glycosuria and ketonuria, and permit survival 

 for relatively long periods of time after pancreatectomy, (c) The gluconeo- 

 genesis which occurs in rats exposed to low oxygen tensions is prevented by 

 both operations.''* (d) Insulin hypersensitivity is of roughly comparable sever- 

 ity in the two conditions, although it is not certain that it is identical in ex- 

 tent or in origin.'""" Removal of the adrenal medulla without damage to the 

 cortex does not produce similar results, nor does removal of the posterior lobe 

 of the pituitary without damage to the anterior lobe. Animals both adrenalec- 

 tomized and hypophysectomized are extremely sensitive to insulin, suggesting 

 that there has been an additive effect of the two operations. These similarities 

 between the effects of adrenalectomy and of hypophysectomy would suggest 

 that the anterior pituitary acts through the adrenal cortex. It should be noted 



