cosyntropin and Diabetic-Coma

1. The metabolic behaviour of the fed hypophysectomized rabbit is quite different from that of the fed normal rabbit, i.e. in the hypophysectomized rabbit we found lasting hypoglycemia and a persistent high lipid plasma level. 2. Fasting induced a large and fast decrease in plasma glucose level which led to a coma; simultaneously it appeared that the hypophysectomized rabbit could not mobilize its adipose stores and that it quickly used up its plasma lipids, among them the essential fatty acids. In contrast, fasting in the normal rabbit induced a large fat mobilization from fat stores and the saturated fatty acids were essentially used, but at the same time plasma glucose remained near the level of control value. 3. Our in vitro results showed the important effect of synacthen in the lipolytic process of isolated fat cells.

Topics: Adipose Tissue; Animals; Blood Glucose; Carbohydrate Metabolism; Cosyntropin; Diabetic Coma; Hypophysectomy; Lipid Mobilization; Lipids; Pituitary Gland; Rabbits; Starvation