INCREASED SODIUM CHLORIDE AND WATER INTAKE OF NORMAL RATS TREATED WITH DESOXYCORTICOSTERONE ACETATE1

Abstract

IN previous self-selection experiments it was found that adrenalectomized rats showed a greatly increased appetite for sodium chloride and that when given access to salt separately from their food they took enough to keep themselves alive and free from symptoms of insufficiency (Richter, 1936). It was further found that after implantation of adrenal tissue or after treatment with 1-desoxycorticosterone acetate the adrenalectomized rats reduced their salt intake to normal amounts (Richter and Eckert, 1938). Thus by their appetites the untreated adrenalectomized rats indicated that they needed salt, while those in which the adrenal cortical insufficiency was corrected indicated that they did not need additional salt. We have now applied this method of appetite study to the investigation of the changes in sodiumchloride and water needs produced by injections of desoxycorticosterone acetate in normal animals.We were interested to determine whether such rats would indicate by their appetite that they needed less or more sodium chloride.