AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN CORTIN AND SOME CARDIAC GLUCOSIDES¹

Abstract

A LARGE NUMBER of crystalline compounds have been isolated from crude extracts of the adrenal cortex. These have been identified as steroids in a series of exhaustive researches (1, 2, 3). They vary widely in their physiological activity, the exact sequence depending on the biological test used. The mother liquor or amorphous residue, after removal of these crystalline compounds, is believed to be from 10 to 100 times more potent than the best of the crystalline products (2, 4, 5). The last two authors also believe the more potent material has a greater number of hydroxyl groups than the corticosterone steroids. From the same gland a strongly reducing sugar-acid was obtained (6), which has since been identified with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) (7). Extraction of hormone activity from beef adrenal glands has been found possible with practically all aqueous and organic solvents with the possible exception of petrolic ether.