ADRENOCORTICAL HYPORESPONSIVENESS AND GLUCOCORTICOID FEEDBACK RESISTANCE IN OLD MALE BROWN-NORWAY RATS

This study was designed to examine adrenocortical function in old (30 months) and young (6 months) male Brown Norway rats. The following obs ervations were made. First, stress induced a higher pituitary adrenoco rticotropic hormone (ACTH) response in the aged male Brown Norway rats than in young rats, while peak circulating corticosterone (CORT) leve ls were not different. Moreover, this type of ''repeated'' stress invo lving subcutaneous injection and blood sampling at various time points by pinching the tail vein, evoked a prolonged ACTH and CORT response in the aged animal. Second, exogenous ACTH(1-24) administered to dexam ethasone-preheated Brown Norway rats, used as an in vivo challenge tes t for adrenocortical function, resulted in a delayed CORT response in the aged rats. The termination of the CORT response to ACTH, however, was not different between young and old rats. Third, ACTH(1-24) stimul ation of adrenocortical cells in vitro showed a tendency to a reduced CORT output, when these cells were obtained from old animals. Fourth, adrenalectomy (ADX) differentially affected pituitary ACTH release at both ages. The initial post-ADX ACTH surge was more pronounced in the aged animals. Beyond 4 days post-ADX the old Brown Norway rats did not show the pronounced afternoon peak in circulating ACTH as was observe d in the young animals. This study demonstrates that during the aging process a deficiency in adrenocortical function develops in the male B rown Norway rat. This deficiency involves a less efficient stress-indu ced activation of adrenocortical output of CORT having enhanced pituit ary ACTH release as one of the consequences. The deficiency of the age d animal also involves the inability to terminate the enhanced ACTH an d CORT response after repeated stress, probably due to an impaired cor ticosteroid feedback.