A three hours study of the response of plasma corticosterone and of three liver enzymes in rats subjected to stress in the late afternoon or during the morning hours.

In adult male rats kept under controlled illumination (lights on from 6 a.m.--6 p.m.) the existence of higher afternoon values of plasma corticosterone ("B") is reconfirmed. Moreover, plasma "B" increases induced by 400 revolutions in Noble-Collip drums or immobilization for 2.5 h were found substantially less pronounced if stressor application took place at 4 p.m. rather than 8 a.m. so that essentially no difference between morning and afternoon poststress peaks was observed. Also the response to 0.05 mg ACTH i.p. was smaller in the afternoon experiments. Additionally three liver enzymes the activity of which is increased by corticosterone released under conditions of stress were also studied. Higher afternoon activity of liver tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) and tryptophan pyrrolase (TP) was observed in spite of fasting from 8 a.m. imposed to the animals taking part in the afternoon experiments. The activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) was also increased in the afternoon probably because of the food deprivation. Immobilization-induced increase in the activity of all three enzymes showed a similar blunting as plasma "B" response, so that no differences between morning and afternoon were found in peak poststress values. In conclusion, the low plasma "B" response of rats at a time when the animals begin the active part of their day seems to have important metabolic implications.