Biological Activity of Fractions Obtained by Differential Centrifugation of the Bovine Adrenal Cortex

This study is an attempt to correlate adrenocortical hormonal activity with various cell fractions obtained by homogenization and differential centrifugation of bovine adrenocortical tissue. Bioassays involving the decrease in circulating eosinophils and sodium retention were employed for the estimation of the glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids respectively. The supernatant was the most active fraction in both bioassays, while the microsome and mitochondrial fractions demonstrated varying degrees of activity. The total nitrogen, lipide phosphorus, and cholesterol contents of the fractions were determined. The microsome fraction contained a relatively higher amount of lipide phosphorus and a marked amount of cholesterol.