The effects of drugs and chemicals upon the structure of the adrenal gland.

The susceptibility of the endocrine tissues to compound-induced lesions may be ranked in the following decreasing order of frequency: adrenal, testis, thyroid, ovary, pancreas, pituitary, and parathyroid. The first two are by far the most frequently affected. Pathologists unaccustomed to the evaluation of endocrine effects are often unaware of the number of compounds producing specific lesions in the adrenal. Compounds may produce changes in one of the following zones: fasciculata/reticularis, glomerulosa, or medulla. They are listed in this paper by affected zones. In the fasciculata/reticularis lesions are generally either degenerative or proliferative; in the glomerulosa they are necrotic or atrophic; in the medulla lesions are generally hypertrophic or proliferative.