An improved method for adrenalectomy of suckling rats. The influence of thrombin treatment and deoxycorticosterone substitution on survival and on hepatic and renal enzyme activities.

Adrenalectomy of suckling rats is complicated by a high mortality rate, caused by the loss of blood (early mortality) and by the disturbed sodium-potassium balance (late mortality). Treatment of the abdominal cavity with a thrombin solution and a daily administration of deoxycorticosterone glucoside (DOC) decrease the total mortality remarkably. DOC treatment has no influence on renal beta-glucosidase and beta-galactosidase as well as on hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity, whereas hepatic serine dehydratase activity exhibits a time- and dosage-dependent response to this hormone. The DOC effect is very likely a consequence of the glucocorticoid-like action of the synthetic hormone, which competes with the endogenous glucocorticoids for the hepatic receptor molecules.