Electric countershock and cold stress effects on liver and adrenal gland.
OBJECTIVE
Cold exposure induces glycogen and lipid depletion in the liver and the adrenal gland, respectively. However, no previous study has determined the effects of electrical countershock on those tissues. We aimed to evaluate the effects of electrical countershock on lipid depletion in the adrenal gland and on glycogen depletion in the liver.


METHODS
We used 40 male Wistar rats divided into four groups: the control group, in which the animals were subjected to a resting period of seven days; the electrical discharge group, in which the animals were subjected to a resting period followed by administration of ten 300-mV electrical discharges; the electrical post-discharge group, in which the animals received ten electrical shocks (300 mV) followed by rest for seven consecutive days; and the cold stress group, in which the animals were subjected to a resting period and were then exposed to -8 degrees C temperatures for four hours. All animals underwent a laparotomy after treatment. The lipid and glycogen depletions are presented using intensity levels (where + = low intensity and ++++ = high intensity, with intermediate levels in between).


RESULTS
The rats exposed to the cold stress presented the highest glycogen and lipid depletion in the liver and the adrenal gland, respectively. Furthermore, we noted that the electrical countershock significantly increased lipid depletion in the adrenal gland and glycogen depletion in the liver. One week after the electrical countershock, the liver and adrenal gland profiles were similar to that of the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Electrical countershock immediately increased the glycogen depletion in the liver and the lipid depletion in the adrenal gland of rats.
Ferreira
Marcelo
M
Departamento de Clínica Médica, Disciplina de Cardiologia, Faculdade de Medicina do ABC - Santo André/SP, Brazil.
de Abreu
Luiz Carlos
LC
Valenti
Vitor E
VE
Meneghini
Adriano
A
Murad
Neif
N
Ferreira
Celso
C
D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D004554:Electric Countershock / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000009:adverse effects*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008112:Liver Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D008112:Liver Glycogen