Showing papers by "Heinrich M. Schulte published in 1983"

The thymus-adrenal connection: thymosin has corticotropin-releasing activity in primates

Abstract: Endotoxin-free thymosin fraction 5 elevated corticotropin, beta-endorphin, and cortisol in a dose- and time-dependent fashion when administered intravenously to prepubertal cynomolgus monkeys. Two synthetic component peptides of thymosin fraction 5 had no acute effects on pituitary function, suggesting that some other peptides in thymosin fraction 5 were responsible for its corticotropin-releasing activity. In agreement with these observations, total thymectomy of juvenile macaques was associated with decreases in plasma cortisol, corticotropin, and beta-endorphin. These findings indicate that the prepubertal primate thymus contains corticotropin-releasing activity that may contribute to a physiological immunoregulatory circuit between the developing immunological and pituitary-adrenal systems.

Pituitary and adrenal responses to the anti-progesterone and anti-glucocorticoid steroid ru 486 in primates1

Abstract: RU 486 is a synthetic steroid with anti-progesterone and anti-glucocorticoid properties. While studying its acute effects on pituitary hormone secretion in cynomolgus monkeys, we found that RU 486 inhibited PRL secretion induced by an estrogen-progesterone synergy (P < 0.025). By contrast, plasma levels of ACTH, arginine vasopressin and cortisol increased following RU 486 administration (P < 0.05). Plasma FSH, LH, GH and TSH were unaffected by RU 486 treatment. Our findings suggest potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications of RU 486.