Studies on adrenocortical hormone, electrolytes and ultrastructural features of the adrenal cortex in spontaneously hypertensive rat.

Recently, some morphological evidences of hyperfunction of the adrenal cortex have become apparent in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). The present study gave higher fluorimetric assay for either corticosterone and cortisol in SHR at the advanced stage of development of hyperten-sion. Electron microscopically, the mitochondria was closely proliferated, and the smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulum of the zona fasciculata was well developed. In the zona glomerulosa, the Golgi complex was more prominent in SHR. These findings would suggest that hyperfunctional stage of the adrenal cortex still remained in the zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata in SHR. The relationship between corticosteroids and their property of inducing hypertension was discussed.