Chemical adrenalectomy by aminoglutethimide and the pancreas in suckling rats

The role of corticosterone in the development of pancreatic enzymes of suckling rats was studied through a partial and transient blockade of steroidogenesis by aminoglutethimide. Rats were injected with aminoglutethimide the night before their 14th day of age. Ten hours later they showed a transient decrease of serum total corticosterone level as compared with rats injected only with the vehicle. At 34 and 58 h after injection, their corticosterone levels returned to that of control rats. Pancreatic weight, protein, DNA contents, and total activities of amylase, lipase, and trypsinogen were depressed only in the aminoglutethimide-treated pups 34 h after injection. These pancreatic parameters returned to the control level 58 h after injection. Hydrocortisone given to another group of rats completely abolished the effect of aminoglutethimide on the pancreas. Thus, a transient suppression of serum corticosterone level caused a delay in the developmental accumulation of pancreatic exocrine enzymes that resumed only after the serum corticosterone returned to the control level. These results further confirm that corticosterone is an important modulator of pancreatic enzyme development in the rat.