Effect of Hypothermia on the Adrenal Cholesterol Content of Rats

摘要

The effect of hypothermia on the adrenal cholesterol content in rats of the same strain but of different sex and weight was studied. A reduction in the cholesterol content of the adrenal gland in rats, exposed to low temperatures, was used as an index of decreased resistance of the animals to this environment. It has been found that in exposure to cold, the cholesterol content of the adrenal in all rats decreased, the reduction occurring first in the ester fraction. Male rats are more resistant to cold than females. The decrease in adrenal cholesterol is less in heavier animals than in lighter animals exposed to the same low temperature. Administration of an aqueous adrenal cortical extract produces a diminution in the fall of adrenal cholesterol in all rats exposed to low temperatures.