Long-term effects of ACTH on rat adrenocortical cells: a coupled stereological and enzymological study.

The effects of a long-term ACTH administration on the morphology of rat adrenocortical cells and the activity of some enzymes of steroid synthesis contained in them were examined by stereological and biochemical techniques. It was demonstrated that ACTH provokes time-dependent increases in the surface area per cell of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial cristae, which are tightly parallelled by enhancements in the activity per cell of delta 5-3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 11 beta-hydroxylase, respectively.