[Diurnal rhythm of the sensitivity of proliferating epithelial cells of the tongue and esophagus to adrenaline].

A study was made of the effect of a single injection of various doses of adrenaline on cell division in the epithelium of the tongue and esophagus. The hormone was injected 6 times a day. The animals were sacrificed after 40 and 60 min. A direct correlation between the adrenaline dose and its antimitotic action was revealed. The degree of a decrease in the mitotic index at varying times of the day correlated well with the initial level of the mitotic number in the epithelium. At the same time the number of adrenaline-sensitive cells changed throughout the day in a different proportion than mitotic rhythms, the fact suggesting the existence of the cell-population mechanisms by which mitotic rhythms are controlled.