Quantitative Alteration in Renal Corpuscles of Salamanders Throuh Variation in Hypophyseal Tissue. ∗

Previous reports have shown that increasing the amount of hypophyseal tissue in an amphibian embryo by grafting gives rise to an increase in the thickness of the basement membrane of the renal glomerulus. 1 It has been pointed out that this thickening is similar in appearance to the thickened membrane in human cases of hypertension. 1 , 2 The size of the heart, vasoconstriction, reduced heart rate and other conditions in these test animals simulate a hypertensive state. 3 The hypophysectomized individuals show the opposite results of hypotension and may now be stated to have correlated with this a thin basement membrane.

The arrangement of the loops of the capillary tuft indicates that there is a simplification in these hypertensive glomeruli. 4 This is stated by McGregor 2 to be true in human hypertension. She also states that there is contraction of glomeruli although no measurements or volume determinations were made. Goormaghtigh 5 mentions contraction of glomeruli in ischemic kidneys.

In our test animals there appeared to be a contraction in many glomeruli with an increase in the capsular space. How much this increase in space is due to a shrinkage of the glomerulus and how much to an increase in capsular volume had to be determined. The present observations deal with quantitative determinations of volume for the total renal corpuscle, the glomerulus and the capsular space of hypophysectomized, control, and triple pituitary animals. This has been done by the paper cut-out method using every serial section. Two groups of animals were employed. In one, values for every fifth corpuscle were computed individually in 3 sets each consisting of an hypophysectomized, a control and a triple pituitary animal.