[Decrease in the corticosterone content in rat blood after intraperitoneal or per os administration of histones]

The influence of histones, protamine, pronase E and albumin on the corticosterone amount in the blood of rats has been studied. It is shown that injection of 10 and 100 (or 500) mkg of histones per 100 g of body weight leads to a decrease of the corticosterone amount in the blood 24 and 5 h (respectively) later. Irrespective of the injection way (intra-abdominal or per os), a dose of 500 mkg of histones per 100 g of body weight decreases the corticosterone amount in blood by 96%, already 5 h later and, after 24 h the corticosterone amount is practically undetermined. In all cases regeneration of the corticosterone amount in blood is observed after 48 h, and besides, the regeneration extent is inversely proportional to the extent of the corticosterone amount decrease in the first hours of the histone injection. After digestion of 500 mkg of histones with 10 mkg of pronase E during 10 min at 37 degrees C and following injection of this mixture, the corticosterone amount in blood decreases but to much less extent than with injection of the same quantity of intact histones. After more intensive digestion (500 mkg of histones with 50 mkg of pronase E during 30 min at 37 degrees C), histones do not decrease the corticosterone amount in blood but they increase it 5 h after the injection, and then exert no influence on the corticosterone amount. The protamine injection does not influence the corticosterone amount in the first hours but increases it 48 h later. Injection of pronase E and albumin increases the corticosterone amount in blood.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)