STUDIES CONCERNING THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS HORMONES UPON RENAL STRUCTURE

Abstract

A saline suspension of cattle ant. pituitary tissue caused pronounced hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the renal tubule cells as well as some increase in the diam. of the glomeruli. This renotrophic effect was enhanced by simultaneous adm. of thyroxin, which had only moderate kidney-stimulating properties when given alone. The combined treatment also caused an increase in heart and adrenals of such magnitude as to suggest potentiation rather than summation. The nephrosclerotic potency of D.C.A. was also enhanced by simultaneous thyroxin adm. Over-dosage effects of D.C.A. were considerably enhanced by simultaneous treatment with thyroxin. Combined adm. of D.C.A. and the hypophyseal prepns. likewise resulted in overdosage symptoms (nephrosclerosis, edema or inflammatory changes in the fat tissue surrounding the renal pelvis, degenerative, and inflammatory changes in the heart muscle and endocardium as well as vascular lesions of the periarteritis nodosa type). Methyl-testosterone exhibited a renotrophic action which was not potentiated by simultaneous adm. of thyroxin,[long dash]the kidney-stimulating effects of the 2 hormones were apparently merely summated. Summation was also observed for combined adm. of methyl-testosterone and hypophyseal prepn. Unilateral nephrec-tomy and excess dosage with NaCl greatly sensitize the rat to the nephrosclerotic effect of various hormones and hormone combinations and such sensitization also increases the incidence of cardiac lesions, periarteritis nodosa, and edema of the renal pelvis. However, true renotrophic effect of various hormones and hormone combinations was not significantly augmented by removal of 1 kidney and a high NaCl diet; the growth-stimulating effect of the hormone treatment was merely concentrated on the remaining kidney. Under the influence of very potent renotrophic hormone combinations such as hypophyseal prepns. plus thyroxin, innumerable mitotic divisions (some atypical) were noticed in the lining cells of the renal tubules. The adrenotrophic effect of the ant. lobe extract was enormously enhanced by simultaneous treatment with thyroxin.