Effects of aldosterone and deoxycorticosterone on food intake and body weight.

Aldosterone (.25 mg/kg) or deoxycorticosterone (3 mg/kg) in combination with corticosterone was administered daily to female adrenalectomized rats. The mineralocorticoids increased food intake and weight gain well beyond that of controls receiving only corticosterone injections. The weight gain was not wholly dependent on increased food intake, as separate groups of animals maintained on a restricted (10 g of laboratory chow/day) diet also displayed significant mineralocorticoid-stimulated weight gain. Although carcass composition was not directly determined, the undifferentiated wet/dry tissue ratios, hematocrit values, and nasoanal lengths found across groups suggest that the observed effect of mineralocorticoids was on body fat. Aldosterone and deoxycorticosterone can have important actions on energy metabolism as well as on sodium regulation.