THE EFFECT OF INSULIN ON THE CATECHOLAMINES AND ADENINE NUCLEOTIDES OF ADRENAL GLANDS

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
² Department of Biochemistry, University of Manitoba Medical School, Winnipeg, Canada

The administration of large doses of insulin to fowl results in a decrease in the concentrations of adenylic acid, adenosine diphosphate, adenosine triphosphate, and catecholamines in the adrenal glands within 24 hours. The depletion of these adrenal gland components persists for only a few days. After insulin the nucleotides are depleted to an extent which is equal to or slightly greater than that of the catecholamines, so that the "equivalence ratio" remains the same as, or is slightly higher than, that of the control animals. After reserpine, there is a profound fall in the "equivalence ratio." The insulin-induced depletion is not as marked, nor as prolonged, nor as consistently attainable as that produced by a single large dose of reserpine. The differences in the depletion of chicken adrenals by the two agents suggest that the manner in which they act as releasers may also differ.