ACTH and corticosterone secretion following 2-deoxyglucose administration in intact and in hypothalamic...

Adult male rats were given a single i.p. injection of 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG, 100-400 mg/kg b. wt). The animals were decapitated 1-4 h later and trunk blood was collected for ACTH, corticosterone (CS) and glucose determinations. Serum ACTH and CS were markedly elevated when compared with saline-treated animals; these elevations were correlated with given doses of 2-DG so that with the higher dose, an approximately 6-fold increase in serum levels of both hormones was observed. Injection of 2-DG up to 200 mg/kg did not change serum glucose levels; injection of 400 mg/kg of 2-DG increased serum glucose by approximately 2-fold. A time course study showed that levels of serum ACTH, CS and glucose were maximal 1 h after 2-DG administration and returned to basal values 3 h later. Injection of 2-DG to animals with complete hypothalamic deafferentation failed to induce any change in serum ACTH, CS or glucose. This study demonstrates that: (1) 2-DG can stimulate the hypothalamo-hypophyseal-adrenal (HHA) axis as measured by ACTH and CS; this effect is not related to blood glucose levels; (2) the HHA response to 2-DG is mediated by sites outside the mediobasal hypothalamus.