LIPIDS PRESENT IN ADRENAL GLANDS 767 



Table 19 

 Lipid Analyses of the Suprarenal Cortex and Medulla" 



Cortex, Medulla, 



Fraction % moist wt. % moist wt. 



Total phospholipid 3.09 2.66 



Total fatty acid 1 .76 1 .46 



Total cholesterol 0.255 0.354 



Free cholesterol 0.230 0.300 



Ester cholesterol 0.025 0.054 



a J. B. Brown, R. A. Knouff, M. M. Conlin, and B. M. Schneider, Proc. Soc. Exptl. 

 Biol. Med., 37, 203-205 (1937). 



The mechanism responsible for the mobilization of adrenal cholesterol fol- 

 lowing the feeding of rapeseed oil is unknown. 



The level of cholesterol in the adrenal gland is intimately connected with 

 that of vitamin C. Thus, in scorbutic guinea pigs, not only is vitamin C 

 reduced in the suprarenal gland, but a concomitant decrease in cholesterol 

 occurs in this gland. Mouriquand and Leulier 344 were the first to report a 

 decrease in cholesterol in scurvy, while Banerjee and Deb, 345 and Oester- 

 ling and Long, 346 confirmed the decrease of both components in this de- 

 ficiency disease. However, the latter workers have shown that, in early 

 scurvy, suprarenal cholesterol may actually be increased during a period 

 when the vitamin C is reduced to 5% of its normal level. However, in 

 late scurvy the cholesterol level is markedly below normal. 346 



The cholesterol and vitamin C levels in the adrenal glands of both guinea 

 pigs and rats are reduced by the injection of ACTH. 347 The administration 

 of glutathione, in dosages which offer protection against irradiation damage, 

 also lowers both ascorbic acid and cholesterol levels in rats and guinea 

 pigs. 348 Cholesterol in the adrenal gland of the guinea pig is also decreased 

 by infectious diseases, but no significant changes in phospholipid or neutral 

 fat are brought about under these conditions. 349 



Although Parhon and co-workers 339,340 stated that splenectomy had only 

 a slight effect on the lipids in the suprarenals of guinea pigs, Marino 350 

 reported diametrically opposed results. An increase in cholesterol began 



344 G. Mouriquand and A. Leulier, Compt. rend. soc. biol., 93, 1314-1315 (1925). 

 346 S. Banerjee and C. Deb, /. Biol. Chem., 190, 177-180 (1951). 



346 M. J. Oesterling and C. N. H. Long, Science, 113, 241-242 (1951). 



347 G. Sayers, M. A. Sayers, T. Y. Liang, and C. N. H. Long, Endocrinology, 38, 1-9 

 (1946). 



348 M. M. Carey, E. P. Vollmer, R. L. Zwemer, and D. L. Spence, Am. J. Physiol., 

 164, 770-773(1951). 



349 E. J. Baumann and O. M. Holly, /. Biol. Chem., 63, lxiii-lxiv (1925). 



350 S. Marino, Arch, farmacol. sper., 55, 243-254 (1933). 



