Corticosterone in serum of adrenalectomized male rats

Following total adrenalectomy of adult male rats, the corticosterone level in the sera declines in the first and second postoperative day from 4.79+/-1.66 mug to 0.56+/-0.24 per 100 ml. On the third postoperative day the value increases to 1.7+/-0.67 mug/100 ml and attains again control level on the 14th p.o. day (5.4+/-3.3 mug/100 ml). Stress, but not 10 i.u. of ACTH causes a further increase of the corticosterone content in the serum reaching 14.3+/-3.5 mug/100 ml, this value representing a much lower amount of hormone in comparison to stressed control animals (36.35+/-2.4 mug/ml). In adrenalectomized and castrated animals no corticosterone could be detected 14 days p.o.; nor do stress or ACTH cause any change.