In vivo corticosteroid production by the adrenal glands of the SSH (stress-sensitive hypertensive) strain of rat.

The corticosteroid hormonal status of a line of stress-sensitive hypertensive (SSH) rats genetically selected from normotensive Wistar rats was characterized. The secretion of mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids by the adrenal glands was measured in vivo under control conditions, after immobilization stress, and after stress in the presence of perorally administered androsol acetate, a potential antihypertensive agent. Eleven corticosteroids were detected, six of which were identified. The SSH rat line is characterized by an increased level of glucocorticoids (corticosterone and cortisone) compared to that seen in normotensive Wistar rats, under both normal and stress conditions. The secretion of individual corticosteroids under conditions of stress and steroid treatment changed to different extents in control and hypertensive rats. It is suggested that the ratios of the different classes of corticosteroids (glucocorticoid to mineralocorticoid), rather than the concentrations of the individual hormones, be used in assessing the effects of substances on the pathogenesis of idiopathic hypertension. Androsol acetate 'normalized' the reaction of the adrenocortical system in response to stress in SSH rats.