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The concentration of ACTH in the pars distalis and pars intermedia of the fetal rat hypophysis from days 17–21 of pregnancy was measured with a specific radioimmunoassay and a bioassay using isolated adrenal cells from adult rats.

In both lobes of the pituitary gland, a significant correlation was observed between immunoreactive and bioreactive values, expressed as pg equivalents synthetic human 1–39 ACTH per µg protein.

In the pars distalis, ACTH concentrations increased steadily from days 17–20 and then remained unchanged to term. At this time they were tenfold higher than on day 17. In the neurointermediate lobe, ACTH was detected only from day 18; the concentration of ACTH increasing between days 18 and 19. At each of the stages of pregnancy examined, the concentration of ACTH in the pars distalis was greater than that in the pars intermedia.

These data have demonstrated that ACTH is present in both anterior and neurointermediate lobes of the fetal rat hypophysis, that the functional differentiation of the pars distalis takes place earlier than that of the pars intermedia, and that the concentrations of corticotrophin in the pars distalis and in the pars intermedia have different patterns of development as gestation progresses.