Pilocarpine and atropine effects on the mitotic activity of the adrenal cortex.

Because of the postulated presence of direct nervous cholinergic connections between the adrenal cortex and the hypothalamic centers, effects of pilocarpine and atropine on the adrenal cortex mitotic activity were examined. The obtained results show that pilocarpine stimulates and atropine inhibits the proliferation of cells in zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex. It seems that the stimulating effect of pilocarpine may be related to the muscarinic receptor activation on the level of the cholinergic nervous terminals in the adrenal cortex.