40 Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to stress by crowding and water immersion for five days. Three groups of animals were compared: controls (n = 20), stressed animals dosed with ascorbic acid (n = 20), and stressed animals not dosed with ascorbic acid (n = 20). Ascorbic acid prevented both adrenal and pituitary hypertrophy in stressed animals. Ascorbic acid appears to act as a potentiating factor for ACTH when there is an increased demand for ACTH during stress.
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