[Relationship between corticosteroids, catecholamines and electrolytes in rats kept on sodium-rich diet]

The changes in the content of catecholamines, electrolytes and corticosteroids were studied dynamically and simultaneously in rats under salt stimulation. Long-term maintenance of the animals on sodium-rich diets results in its accumulation in blood plasma and heart muscle, the tissue depot of catecholamines diminishing at the same time. The changes in the functional state of the adrenal glands and of the catecholamines content in the myocardium are of a phased nature. The activation of the glucocorticoid function of the adrenal glands on the 18th day of the experiment is substituted by its reduction on the 56th day. The presence of a distinct relationship between the functional state of the adrenal glands and the level af adrenalin in the heart indicates the regulatory role of glucocorticoids in this experimental situation.