title: [Effects of rapeseed oil on production of corticosterone by rats subjected to stresses (physical effort, cold].
abstract: Investigations were carried out on male Wistar rats from an own animal farm of the Institute of Food and Nutrition. The animals were kept on two types of diet containing 50 p. 100 of calories from rapeseed or sunflower oil. The investigations on the effect of rapeseed oil on functional changes of rat adrenals in animals exposed to graded physical exercise were performed on 40 rats aged 3.5 months at the beginning of the experiment. The animals were divided into two groups and were given during 6 weeks diets containing rapeseed or sunflower oil. Then, each group was divided into two subgroups. Administering further these diets one subgroup was left without physical exercise during 7 days, the 2nd group was exposed to graded physical exercise during 45 min. daily during 7 days. Physical exercise was graded by means of special rotating drums driven electrically and provided with running-tracks. Each rat had a daily run of 630 m., and during 7 days this distance was 4 410 m. The investigations on the effect of rapeseed oil on functional changes of rat adrenals in animals exposed to low temperature were performed on 40 rats aged 3.5 months at the beginning of experiment. After 6 weeks on diets each of the two groups was divided into two subgroups. Administering further the same diets one group was left in the laboratory and the other subgroup was placed for 2 weeks in a room at 4 degrees C. After the experiment the animals were decapitated and their adrenals and plasma were taken for corticosterone determinations by the fluorimetric method. Differences were demonstrated in the effects of rapeseed oil and sunflower oil during these stresses. During graded physical exercise the corticosterone level in the adrenals of rats kept on diet with rapeseed oil was unchanged, while it rose significantly in the group receiving sunflower oil. In the plasma the corticosterone level increased during physical exercise in both groups, but in the group receiving rapeseed oil this increase was lower. During exposure to low temperature the adrenal corticosterone level decreased in the group receiving rapeseed oil and was unchanged in the group on sunflower oil. In the plasma the corticosterone level increased on exposure to low temperature in both groups but less in the group receiving rapeseed oil as compared with the group on sunflower oil.
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D004041:Dietary Fats; D006368:Helianthus; D008297:Male; D009821:Oils / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009929:Organ Size; D005082:Physical Exertion; D051381:Rats; D012639:Seeds; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D009821:Oils; D003345:Corticosterone
vernacular_title: Effets de l'huile de colza sur la production de la corticostérone chez des rats soumis a des agressions (effort physique, froid)