Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease Induced by Desoxycorticosterone in Hypophysectomized Rats Bearing Pituitary Autotransplants

The responsiveness of hypophysectomized female rats bearing pituitary autotransplants to chronic, low dosage treatment with desoxycorticosterone acetate was compared with that of intact females. Intact animals reacted rapidly, developed malignant hypertension, and died within 10 weeks. By contrast hypophysectomized autograft-bearing rats developed hypertension more slowly, and the majority of them were alive at 16 weeks when the experiment was concluded. At autopsy, as compared with intact animals which had died earlier from the sequelae of malignant hypertension, hypophysectomized animals were found to have far more severe periarteritis nodosa, but a lesser development of nephrosclerosis and an extremely low incidence of cardiac damage. Hypertensive cardiovascular disease occurred in these animals despite extreme atrophy of the thyroid and adrenal glands, of the ovaries and uteri, and cessation of somatic growth. Therefore, except for LTH which such autografts are known to elaborate, or trace amounts of the other principals, none of the known regulatory hormones of the anterior pituitary singly or in combination is essential to this effect of DCA.