Elevation of plasma glucose, alanine, and urea levels by mammalian ACTH in the American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana).

The effects of a single infusion of mammalian ACTH on plasma glucose, alanine, urea, and lactate were determined in the American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana). The ACTH (10 U/250 g body wt) was administered, and serial blood samples were collected via a nonocclusive cannula chronically placed in the right truncus arteriosus. Plasma metabolite levels were estimated by standard enzymatic techniques. The plasma metabolites declined following the surgery to levels that were relatively stable by postoperative Day 2. The levels did not vary significantly for the remainder of the 3- or 4-day pretreatment period and in the control bullfrogs during the 48-hr experiments. Plasma glucose levels were essentially unchanged from the time-zero levels at 6 hr following ACTH infusion. Plasma glucose levels subsequently increased to levels that were approximately 24% greater than the control levels by 24 hr and then declined to near control levels by 48 hr. Plasma alanine increased to levels that were approximately 60% greater than the control levels by 12 hr after ACTH treatment and returned to essentially the time-zero levels by 24 hr. Plasma urea rose to levels that were approximately 110% greater than the control levels by 45 min after ACTH infusion, but urea returned to essentially the time-zero levels by 1.5 through 3 hr. Plasma urea increased again to levels that were approximately 90% greater than the control levels by 6 hr and returned to essentially the initial levels by 24 hr. Plasma lactate levels were not significantly influenced by ACTH treatment. The results suggest that a function of the bullfrog hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis is to regulate gluconeogenesis from alanine, and probably other glucogenic amino acids.