Circadian rhythms of plasma corticosterone binding activity in the rat and the mouse.

Corticosterone binding activity (CBA) and corticosteroids were measured by competitive protein binding techniques in plasma samples drawn from rats and mice at different times of day. Circacian rhythms of plasma CBA were found in both rats (onset of 14-h daily photoperiod: 0600) and mice (onset of 14-h daily photoperiod: 0700). The plasma CBA rhythm was bimodal in rats with peaks at 1000 and 1800 and unimodal in mice with peak level from 0100 to 0500. Circadian rhythms of plasma corticosteroid concentration with peaks during the late afternoon were confirmed in both rats and mice. The plasma CBA rhythms appear to be related to the circadian rhythms of both locomotor activity and plasma corticosteroid concentration.