Hydrocortisone and the Distribution of Hyaluronidase, Mucopolysaccharide Uronic Acid, and Acid Phosphatase in the Rat Kidney

Abstract

In the three main zones of the rat kidney, hyaluronidase concentrations are highest in the papilla followed by the medulla and then the cortex. This order is the same as that found for mucopolysaccharide uronic acid, but the reverse of that for acid phosphatase. Following hydrocortisone injection there is a significant increase in the hyaluronidase concentration in the cortex at 12 h but no significant change in acid phosphatase concentration in any of the zones. At 18 h after hydrocortisone administration there is no significant change in concentration of mucopolysaccharide uronic acid, suggesting that the increase in hyaluronidase is retained in a compartment separate from the intercellular matrix. There is an increase in the hyaluronidase extractable with Triton X-100, though there is a decrease in acid phosphatase in the same extract. This suggests that the increase in hyaluronidase is located in a specific lysosomal population.