Compensatory adrenal growth in dexamethasone treated rats.

The changes in right adrenal weight and adrenocortical mitotic activity have been quantified in the early (up to 72 h) stages following left adrenalectomy or sham adrenalectomy in adult male Sprague Dawley rats. These have been compared with the changes seen in rats pretreated for 14 days with a daily intraperitoneal injection of the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone (200 micrograms/kg) body weight. The results indicate a significant proliferative response in both groups of animals, although basal proliferative activity and the amplitude of the response was lower in the dexamethasone treated animals. In addition, they suggest two waves of mitotic activity at 24 and 72 h.