[Activity of adrenal cytoplasmic dehydrogenase following prolonged ACTH administration].

The activity of cytoplasmic dehydrogenases of the adrenal cells was examined during the prolonged injections of ACTH to Wistar rats. The indices of specific steroid synthesis function of the glands remained relatively high in the course of the whole experiment. Changes in the rats of corticosterone synthesis and dehydrogenase activities were phasic in character; they included an initial synchronic activation the first two days with its subsequent decrease (7 days of ACTH injections). The prevalence of activities of NADP-dependent dehydrogenases in combination with reactivation of steroidogenesis was marked during the concluding phase (13 days) of the experiment. A possibility of the adaptive role of selective activation of NADP-dependent enzymes in the maintenance of a high level of hormone biosynthesis under conditions of prolonged ACTH stimulation is discussed.