The function of antidiuretic hormone in the sheep.

1. With the aim of producing diabetes insipidus in sheep, electrolytic lesions were placed in the ventral medial hypothalamus immediately posterior to the optic chiasm.2. After formation of lesions, the pattern of urine excretion showed a triphasic response consisting of (i) an immediate diuresis reaching a maximum within 4 days, (ii) an interphase of about 12 days wherein rates of urine flow were normal, and (iii) a final phase of permanent polyuria. With the four sheep used in this work, the time between placement of the lesions and onset of permanent hyposthenuria was 19-22 days.3. In the final polyuric phase, the sheep were unable to concentrate their urine in response to dehydration or to feeding.4. Infusions of arginine vasopressin restored the ability of these animals to excrete urine that was hypertonic to plasma.5. The evidence showed that the hypothalamic lesions were effective in producing permanent diabetes insipidus. It was concluded that anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) has essentially the same function in sheep as it has in other mammalian species; that is, the hormone facilitates the elaboration of hypertonic urine. There was no evidence to suggest that ADH had a special effect on potassium excretion in the sheep.