Effect of insulin on neonatal and adult adrenal medulla in the rat.

The effect of equivalent doses of insulin on the adrenal of both adult and neonatal rats was compared. Glycemia in treated adults dropped to one third of the control, in contrast to the neonatal rat values, which decreased to about one half. After insulin, a large percentage of adult chromaffin cells showed cytoplasmic degranulation and vacuolization. In contrast, a smaller percentage of cytoplasmic changes was seen in the adrenal cells of 4- and 7-day-old rats. In rats of 10 days of age, the percentage of modified cells was similar to the adults. The morphological changes in neonatal medullae were characterized by widening of the perigranular space and enlargement of the endoplasmic reticulum cisternae. No cytoplasmic vacuolization was seen. This response of neonatal rats to insulin may indicate immaturity of the adrenal chromaffin tissue and/or of the centers involved in the mechanism of hypoglycemia-catecholamine release.