[Biosynthesis and metabolism of aldosterone under conditions of neurogenic stress]

Adult male rats were subjected to neurogenic stress by crowding for 1 and 7 days. The following was studied; aldosterone-14C biosynthesis from progesterone-14-C in vitro in the adrenal gland homogenate, aldosterone-14S metabolism in vitro in the liver homogenate; also the endogenous content of this hormone in the peripheral blood and the adrenal glands was determined by the radioimmunological method. 24-hour stress caused a sharp increase of aldosterone biosynthesis and a marked increase of the content of this hormone in the adrenal glands, this being accompanied by increased aldosterone metabolism and its normal content in the peripheral blood. Crowding for 7 days led to normalization of aldosterone-14C biosynthesis, to a marked reduction of its metabolism, decrease of the adrenal gland weight, to some reduction of aldosterone content in the adrenal glands and a sharp fall of the concentration of this hormone in the blood. The data obtained permit a suggestion that there was an increased tissue aldosterone utilization in one-day, and particularly in seven-day neurogenic stress.