Body weight gain, food intake and adrenal development in chronic noise stressed rats

Wistar chronic treated rats (30 days) were used to investigate the effect of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity on growth, food intake and adrenal development (weight and DNA content). The animals were submitted to noise stress, ACTH administration and dexamethasone suppression test. Noise stress decreased body weight gain and food intake. No adrenal hypertrophy was observed but an increase in relative DNA content by stress has been found. ACTH and dexamethasone treated rats showed a body weight and food intake decrease vs. controls. The effect on body weight was higher in dexamethasone treated rats. Adrenal hypertrophy and hyperplasia were found in ACTH treated rats, whereas dexamethasone provoked adrenal atrophy with a decrease in DNA content.