Showing papers on "Adrenal cortex published in 1989"
TL;DR: Two distinct subtypes of the angiotensin II receptor in the rat adrenal gland are demonstrated using radioligand binding and tissue section autoradiography and the discovery of two structurally dissimilar, nonpeptide compounds that show reciprocal selectivity for the two subtypes.
823 citations
TL;DR: It was found that H animals secreted less ACTH and corticosterone during and following the termination of stress than did nonhandled (NH) controls, and H animals were more sensitive than NH animals to the inhibitory effects of either B or dexamethasone on stress-induced adrenocortical activity.
Abstract: Adult rats handled (H) daily for the first 3 weeks of life show a dramatically altered adrenocortical response to stress. We found that H animals secreted less ACTH and corticosterone (B) during and following the termination of stress than did nonhandled (NH) controls. In contrast, H and NH animals did not differ in basal B secretion at any point in the diurnal cycle, nor in adrenocortical responses to exogenously administered oCRF or ACTH. Moreover, the clearance rate for B was similar in H and NH animals. H animals were more sensitive than NH animals to the inhibitory effects of either B or dexamethasone on stress-induced adrenocortical activity. In a dose-response study, both glucocorticoids administered 3 h prior to testing suppressed the adrenocortical response to a 20-min restraint stress to a greater extent in the H animals. Handling increased type II, glucocorticoid receptor binding capacity in the hippocampus of adult animals (approximately 50% increase in capacity, with no change in affinity). There were no handling-induced changes in type II receptor binding capacity in the hypothalamus or pituitary, nor in type I receptor binding capacity in the hippocampus. Following chronic (5 mg/kg/day) treatment with B, hippocampal type II receptor binding capacity was significantly reduced in the B-treated H animals, compared with saline-treated H animals, and indistinguishable from saline-treated NH animals. Down-regulated H animals, like NH animals, hypersecreted B following the termination of stress in comparison to the saline-treated H animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
471 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that suramin is an active agent in the treatment of metastatic cancer, and further work is necessary to define its scope.
Abstract: We administered suramin, an anti-parasitic drug and reverse transcriptase inhibitor, to 15 patients with metastatic cancer. This compound is known to inhibit the binding of growth factors (eg, epidermal growth factor [EGF], platelet-derived growth factor [PDGF], tumor growth factor-beta [TGF-beta]) to their receptors and thus antagonize the ability of these factors to stimulate growth of tumor cells in vitro. There were no complete responses (CRs), four partial responses (PRs) (two of ten adrenal cortex, one of four renal, one of one adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma [HTLV-1]), and two minimal responses (MRs) (two of ten adrenal cortex). Toxicity included proteinuria (14 patients), reversible liver function test abnormalities (eight), vortex keratopathy (five), adrenal insufficiency (three), coagulopathy secondary to increased circulating levels of glycosaminoglycans (11), and one case of a reversible acute demyelinating polyneuropathy resembling the Guillain-Barre syndrome. We conclude that suramin is an active agent in the treatment of metastatic cancer, and further work is necessary to define its scope.
369 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate that rat and bovine adrenal cytosol contains an L-arginine:NO synthase, which was NADPH- and Ca(2+)-dependent and was inhibited by several L- arginine analogues.
252 citations
TL;DR: Diazepam effects a stimulation of adrenal mitochondrial cholesterol delivery similar to that observed for endozepine, suggesting that the mediation of corticotropin-induced steroidogenesis may be the physiological function of the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor.
Abstract: Delivery of cholesterol to inner mitochondrial membranes is rate-limiting for steroidogenesis in the zona fasciculata of adrenal cortex. A protein that stimulates this process was isolated to homogeneity from bovine adrenal tissue. This protein's primary structure has been determined in its entirety by a combination of automated Edman microsequencing, fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS). The sequence was identical to that previously reported for bovine brain endozepine, except that it lacks the last two residues, -Gly-Ile, at the C terminus. To our knowledge, isolation of an endozepine-related protein from a tissue other than brain has not been reported previously. Endozepine competes with benzodiazepines for saturable binding sites in synaptosomes and in mitochondria of specific peripheral tissues. Previous reports have localized the adrenal benzodiazepine receptor to the outer mitochondrial membrane. In this report, we show that the prototypic benzodiazepine, diazepam, effects a stimulation of adrenal mitochondrial cholesterol delivery similar to that observed for endozepine. The effective diazepam concentration was consistent with that previously shown to displace a high-affinity ligand of the mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptor. The action of diazepam in adrenal mitochondria suggests that the mediation of corticotropin-induced steroidogenesis may be the physiological function of the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor. These studies provide new insights into the previously unknown function of peripheral benzodiazepine receptors and should allow new investigations into the stimulation of steroidogenesis by endozepines and benzodiazepines in the brain and in certain peripheral tissues.
235 citations
TL;DR: It was of interest to evaluate whether DTT has a disciminatory effect on these two types of AII receptor in rat adrenal cortex.
137 citations
TL;DR: At least two forms of cytochrome P-450, which catalyze the 11 beta- and 18-hydroxylations of deoxycorticosterone, exist in rat adrenal cortex, but aldosterone synthesis is catalyzed only by the one present in the zona glomerulosa mitochondria.
133 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that the source of the elevated maternal corticosteroid levels in pregnancy in addition to the estrogen-mediated rise in cortICosteroid-binding globulin is the maternal adrenal cortex itself.
Abstract: The maternal adrenal cortex seems to be involved in the adaptation to pregnancy. To study in detail adrenocortical secretion during pregnancy, we measured plasma aldosterone, corticosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, 11-deoxycortisol, cortisol, and cortisone simultaneously by RIA after extraction and automated Sephadex LH-20 chromatography of 10 normal pregnant women longitudinally throughout pregnancy at weeks 8-10, 14-17, 21-24, 28-32, and 38 as well as at the time of admission to the delivery room. The mean plasma progesterone and 17-hydroxy-progesterone concentrations increased from 37.2 +/- 6.5 (+/- SE) and 8.2 +/- 1.0 nmol/L, respectively, in early gestation to maximum levels of 138.0 +/- 25.7 and 22.8 +/- 2.2 nmol/L at week 38 (P less than 0.01). Plasma glucocorticoid levels rose 2- to 3-fold (P less than 0.01) from weeks 8-10 (corticosterone, 18.5 +/- 5.4; 11-deoxycortisol, 1.9 +/- 0.2; cortisone, 24.2 +/- 4.2; cortisol, 195.5 +/- 37.6 nmol/L) to week 38 (corticosterone, 42.9 +/- 11.2; 11-deoxycortisol, 4.6 +/- 0.5; cortisone, 71.5 +/- 13.6; cortisol, 420 +/- 63 nmol/L). Similarly, plasma mineralocorticoid levels increased 5- to 7-fold (P less than 0.01) from weeks 8-10 (11-deoxycorticosterone, 0.69 +/- 0.12; aldosterone, 0.41 +/- 0.08 nmol/L) to maximum levels at week 38 (5.3 +/- 0.9 and 2.1 +/- 0.3 nmol/L, respectively). At the time of admission to the delivery room, plasma 11-deoxycortisol, corticosterone, and cortisol concentrations were higher (P less than 0.02) than at 38 weeks, but plasma progestin and mineralocorticoid concentrations were not. We conclude that the source of the elevated maternal corticosteroid levels in pregnancy in addition to the estrogen-mediated rise in corticosteroid-binding globulin is the maternal adrenal cortex itself. The peak glucocorticoid levels at admission to the delivery room reflect increased maternal and fetal stress with the onset of labor.
125 citations
TL;DR: The consistency of the genetic changes on chromosomes 11p, 13q, and 17p suggests that they are important in the pathogenesis of adrenocortical carcinoma.
Abstract: Recent studies have suggested that loss of heterozygosity at loci on the short arm of human chromosome 11 (11p) may be important in the pathogenesis of benign and malignant adrenal cortical tumors. To test this concept, adrenocortical carcinomas from nine patients and benign adrenal cortical lesions from eight patients were tested for loss of alleles at loci on human chromosomes 11, 13, and 17. All patients with adrenocortical carcinoma whose normal somatic tissues were heterozygous for a locus on chromosome 17p had lost alleles in the tumor. Four of six patients with adrenocortical carcinoma who were heterozygous for one or more alleles on chromosome 11p in normal tissues had lost 11p alleles in the tumor. Three of six patients with adrenocortical carcinoma showed loss of 13q alleles in the tumor. Loss of alleles on chromosomes 11p, 13q, and 17p was observed in primary tumors and metastases but not in adrenocortical adenomas or hyperplastic lesions of the adrenal cortex. One patient with adrenocortical carcinoma had a somatic mutation in the HRAS1 gene in the normal adrenal gland. The consistency of the genetic changes on chromosomes 11p, 13q, and 17p suggests that they are important in the pathogenesis of adrenocortical carcinoma.
120 citations
TL;DR: The thoracic splanchnic nerve was electrically stimulated in pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs after hypophysectomy and replacement with physiological concentrations of ACTH and resulted in a frequency-dependent increase in mean arterial pressure, in epinephrine and norepinephrine secretion and in adrenal blood flow.
Abstract: To test whether or not splanchnic neural input to the adrenal gland affects secretion of steroids from the adrenal cortex, the thoracic splanchnic nerve was electrically stimulated in pentobarbital-an
117 citations
TL;DR: Results clearly demonstrate that one or more enzymes other than the classical adrenal 21-hydroxylase are responsible for human and rat extraadrenal 20-hydroxyprogesterone and progesterone sulfate 21-Hydroxylation.
Abstract: The 21-hydroxylation of progesterone to deoxycorticosterone (DOC) and of 17-hydroxyprogesterone to 11-deoxycortisol in the human adrenal cortex is mediated by a single enzyme termed P450c21. Extraadrenal tissues can clear circulating progesterone and progesterone sulfate by 21-hydroxylation to DOC and DOC-sulfate. It has previously been established that such extraadrenal 21-hydroxylase activity is widely distributed in adult and fetal tissues, but it has not been known if extra-adrenal 21-hydroxylation is mediated by the same P450c21 enzyme found in the adrenal. We examined human RNA from fetal adrenal, liver, kidney, lung, brain, heart, skin, spleen, testis, and placenta by solution hybridization to human P450c21 probes transcribed from cloned human P450c21 cDNA, followed by nuclease protection and acrylamide gel electrophoresis. No P450c21 mRNA was detectable in any extraadrenal tissue. The sensitivity of the assay would have detected P450c21 mRNA at 0.01% of its abundance in the human fetal adrenal. Similar experiments in rats showed no P450c21 mRNA in brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, testis, ovary, or uterus. These results clearly demonstrate that one or more enzymes other than the classical adrenal 21-hydroxylase are responsible for human and rat extraadrenal 21-hydroxylation.
TL;DR: The present results indicate that the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor of adrenocortical mitochondria plays an essential role in regulating cholesterol side chain cleavage without any change of calcium channels.
Abstract: In an attempt to elucidate the physiological relevance of the peripheral type of benzodiazepine receptor in adrenocortical mitochondria, we examined the effect of three different benzodiazepines (diazepam, Ro5-4864, and chlordiazepoxide) on the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone, the rate-limiting step in steroidogenesis, by using cholesterol-loaded mitochondria from bovine adrenal zona fasciculata. These benzodiazepines, except chlordiazepoxide, caused a dose-dependent stimulation of the cholesterol side chain cleavage in the mitochondria. The stimulatory effect of Ro5-4864 was approximately 10 times more potent than that of diazepam. No inhibitory effect of YM-684 (Ro15-1788), a potent antagonist to central-type benzodiazepine receptors, was observed in the stimulation induced by diazepam and Ro5-4864. Both external calcium ion and voltage-dependent calcium channel blocker, (+)-PN200-110, were without effect on the diazepam-induced steroidogenesis. By contrast, pretreatment of mitochondria with digitonin abolished the stimulatory effect of diazepam on the mitochondrial steroidogenesis. The present results indicate that the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor of adrenocortical mitochondria plays an essential role in regulating cholesterol side chain cleavage without any change of calcium channels.
TL;DR: Results suggest that central adrenergic transmission, originating at the ventral noradrenergic ascending bundle and acting through alpha 1- adrenergic receptors, is involved in the adrenocortical response to IL-1.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that proteins ib and pb are localized predominantly in the mitochondria and are tightly associated with that organelle and it is found that inhibition of mitochondrial protein synthesis by chloramphenicol affects neither the accumulation of these proteins nor the stimulation of steroidogenesis.
TL;DR: The results suggest that the cytokines TNF and IL-1 are potent inhibitors, particularly of AII action in the adrenal glomerulosa cell, therefore, local or systemically produced TNF or IL- 1 may be important negative modulators of aldosterone synthesis.
Abstract: Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1 (IL-1), mediate many inflammatory and cellular responses. However, the effects of TNF and IL-1 on basal and angiotensin-II (AII)-stimulated aldosterone synthesis are not known. We studied the effect of recombinant and purified TNF and IL-1 on basal as well as AII-, ACTH-, and K+-induced aldosterone synthesis in isolated rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. Since we have previously shown that AII action is mediated by activation of the 12-lipoxygenase (12LO) pathway of arachidonic acid, we also evaluated the effects of these cytokines on the 12LO product 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12HETE) using a validated RIA technique. TNF at 2.5 and 5.0 ng/ml produced a dose-dependent inhibition of AII-induced aldosterone synthesis [AII, 39.0 +/- 3.3 ng/10(6) cells.h; AII plus TNF (5.0 ng/ml), 14.3 +/- 1.6; P less than 0.001 vs. AII; AII plus TNF (2.5 ng/ml), 24.7 +/- 3.2; P less than 0.01 vs. AII]. Similarly, TNF at 5.0 ng/ml also attenuated the stimulatory effect of ACTH (10(-9) M). However, K+-induced aldosterone synthesis was not altered. TNF also did not alter basal aldosterone levels. AII, as previously shown, stimulates 12HETE synthesis (basal, 608 +/- 114 pg/10(5) cells.h; versus AII, 1268 +/- 197; P less than 0.02). TNF at concentrations of 1.0-5.0 ng/ml produced a dose-dependent inhibition of AII stimulatory action on 12HETE synthesis [AII plus TNF (1.0 ng/ml), 650 +/- 26 pg, P less than 0.03 vs. AII; AII plus TNF (5.0 ng/ml), 390 +/- 46; P less than 0.01 vs. AII plus TNF (1.0 ng/ml)]. In addition, 12HETE at 10(-8) M completely restored the effects of AII during blockage by TNF. Purified human IL-1 (75% beta, 25% alpha) as well as recombinant human IL-1 beta at concentrations as low as 50 pg/ml inhibited AII-induced aldosterone synthesis. IL-1 beta did not alter ACTH- or K+-induced aldosterone synthesis and, in fact, had a tendency to potentiate ACTH effects. These results suggest that the cytokines TNF and IL-1 are potent inhibitors, particularly of AII action in the adrenal glomerulosa cell. Therefore, local or systemically produced TNF or IL-1 may be important negative modulators of aldosterone synthesis.
TL;DR: Cytochrome P450/pseudosubstrate effects could be involved in the aging and death of adrenocortical cells in vivo, and necrosis of the adrenal cortex due to excessive ACTH stimulation or due to the action of adrenolytic chemicals could result from damage by oxygen radicals originating from cytochromeP450s.
TL;DR: It is postulated that, at low concentrations, ACTH binds preferentially to the high-affinity site of its receptor, leading to calcium influx by depolarization of the membrane potential, and to steroid secretion predominantly through an inositol phosphate- and Ca2+-stimulated pathway and also a cyclic AMP pathway.
Abstract: The mechanism by which ACTH stimulates calcium influx and steroid secretion was studied using rat adrenal glomerulosa cells, which were either freshly isolated or maintained in primary culture for 3 days The potassium channel blocker tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA) stimulated twofold both corticosterone and aldosterone secretion; this stimulation was lower than that induced by ACTH at low concentrations (10 pmol/l) However, TEA and ACTH induced similar increases in Ca2+ influx and inositol phosphate accumulation The three responses (steroid secretion, calcium influx and inositol phosphate accumulation) induced by TEA or low concentrations of ACTH were blocked by CoCl2 The greater stimulatory effect on steroid secretion of 10 nmol ACTH/l was decreased but not blocked by CoCl2 These data further document the complex mechanism of action of ACTH It is postulated that, at low concentrations, ACTH binds preferentially to the high-affinity site of its receptor, leading to calcium influx by depolarization of the membrane potential, and to steroid secretion predominantly through an inositol phosphate- and Ca2+-stimulated pathway and also a cyclic AMP pathway At higher concentrations, the hormone also binds to the low-affinity site of its receptor, largely stimulating cyclic AMP production and further increasing steroid secretion
TL;DR: At least two distinct cytochrome P-450(11) beta species exist in the adrenal cortex and participate in steroidogenesis, indicating that the two proteins originate from different genes in bovine adrenocortical cells.
Abstract: Two distinct forms of cytochrome P-45011 beta, with apparent molecular weights of 48,500 (48.5K) and 49,500 (49.5K), have been isolated from bovine adrenocortical mitochondria. Their amino acid sequences up to the 19th position from the N-terminus were only different at the 6th position (Val and Ala for the 48.5K and 49.5K enzymes, respectively). Each sequence was assignable to a distinct cDNA clone for cytochrome P-450(11) beta (Kirita, S., et al. [1988] J. Biochem. 104, 683-686), indicating that the two proteins originate from different genes in bovine adrenocortical cells. Both forms of cytochrome P-450(11) beta were capable of catalyzing aldosterone synthesis as well as the 11 beta- and 18-hydroxylation of 11-deoxycorticosterone. Thus, at least two distinct cytochrome P-450(11) beta species exist in the adrenal cortex and participate in steroidogenesis.
TL;DR: In the adrenal glands of patients with Cushing's disease, the positive immunoreactivity to P-45017 alpha was intense in ZF and ZR, particularly in cortical micronodules, corresponding to the sites of active steroidogenesis.
TL;DR: The findings indicate that the rat adrenal cortex is capable of producing two distinct forms of active cytochrome P450(11) beta, and a structural relationship of the 49- and 51-kDa proteins was indicated by experiments involving limited proteolysis.
TL;DR: In summary, maneuvers that affect the RAS stimulate or suppress solely aldosterone and 18-OHB and have little, if any, effect on DOC, 18-OHDOC, B, or cortisol.
Abstract: Introduction Since the identification of aldosterone as the potent salt-retaining and potassium-secreting hormone of the adrenal cortex and being devoid of glucocorticoid properties, the more general term “mineralocorticoid hormone” (MCH) gradually evolved. This term was of particular importance in the clinical arena after the description of primary aldosteronism in 1955. Aldosterone alone was not the sole MCH causing hypertension and renal potassium wasting. Other hypertensive disorders were recognized as either due to deoxycorticosterone (DOC), or the cumulative MCH effect of all steroids of the zona fasciculata (ZF). Disorders of blood pressure and many disorders of potassium metabolism require assessment of the production of MCHs. Additional MCHs, less potent on a molar basis, were soon identified. Their zonal origins and regulation provided new insights into adrenal mechanisms. Maneuvers to stimulate and suppress production of the MCH vary greatly but generally follow attempts to influence the set of...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The results show that the kinase, the phosphatase, and the receptor are three different molecular entities, which are affected in a different manner by heparin, consistent with the suggestion that the binding sites for inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate are the intracellular receptors responsible for the Ca2+-mobilizing effects of inositolin.
Abstract: In a wide variety of cells, inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate is a second messenger that interacts with specific intracellular receptors and triggers the release of sequestered Ca2+ from an intracellular store. We have looked at the influence of heparin on the action and metabolism of inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate in the bovine adrenal cortex. Heparin blocked inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate binding with half-maximal efficiency around 10 micrograms/ml. Scatchard analyses revealed that heparin did not change the affinity but decreased the number of available binding sites. The Ca2+-releasing activity of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate was monitored with the fluorescent indicator, fura-2. Heparin blocked this activity with half-maximal effeciency around 10 micrograms/ml. The effect of heparin could be overcome by a supramaximal dose of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (25 microM). The activity of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate-3-kinase from bovine adrenal cortex cytosol was also studied. Heparin inhibited the activity of the kinase with a half-maximal effeciency around 0.4 microgram/ml. Lineweaver-Burk plots revealed that this potent effect was noncompetitive. Finally, we observed that heparin is without effect on inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate-5-phosphatase (at concentrations as high as 2 mg/ml). These results are consistent with the suggestion that the binding sites for inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate are the intracellular receptors responsible for the Ca2+-mobilizing effects of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate. These results also show that the kinase, the phosphatase, and the receptor are three different molecular entities, which are affected in a different manner by heparin.
TL;DR: The effects of TGF beta on ACTH receptor content are likely another important negative action of this peptide on adrenocortical cell differentiation, and regulation of ACTH receptors number may be one mechanism by which hormones and growth factors control adrenoc Cortical differentiation.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Findings indicate that T lymphocytes infiltration in aged human adrenal cortex may represent a pre-clinical manifestation of organ-specific autoimmune adrenalitis which is based on autoimmunity associated with ageing process.
Abstract: The incidence of mononuclear cell infiltration in the adrenal cortex was examined in autopsy cases of young and old subjects, and the infiltrating mononuclear cells were immunohistologically characterized by monoclonal antibodies. Histologically, 110 of 174 autopsy cases of persons greater than 60 years (63.2%) were shown to have mononuclear cell infiltration of varying degree within the adrenal cortex, whereas such a lesion was observed in lesser incidence (7.4%) in the 54 younger, control subjects aged less than 49 years. In addition, severely infiltrating lesions in the adrenal cortex were found frequently in the elderly greater than 70 years. Immunohistochemical study revealed that the infiltrating mononuclear cells were mainly composed of CD3+ T cells. The major proportion of CD3+ T cells expressed CD4, whereas CD8+ T cells were less in number. Moreover, a considerable proportion of CD4+ T cells was activated as judged by interleukin 2 receptor expression. These findings indicate that T lymphocytes infiltration in aged human adrenal cortex may represent a pre-clinical manifestation of organ-specific autoimmune adrenalitis which is based on autoimmunity associated with ageing process.
TL;DR: The indirect immunofluorescence technique shows that an AVT-like peptide is stored in chromaffin granules of frog adrenal gland, and indicates that synthetic AVT is a potent stimulator of corticosteroid secretion by frog interrenal cells.
Abstract: The presence of neurohypophyseal nonapeptides in the adrenal gland of nonmammalian vertebrates and the possible action of these regulatory peptides on corticosteroid secretion have never been investigated. We have applied the indirect immunofluorescence technique to examine whether vasotocin (AVT) and/or mesotocin (MT) are located in frog adrenal (interrenal) tissue. Using antisera against AVT and tyrosine hydroxylase, we found that all chromaffin cells contain an AVT-like peptide. Labeling of consecutive sections with phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase or AVT antibodies showed that both noradrenaline- and adrenaline-storing cells contain AVT-like immunoreactivity. In contrast no labeling of frog adrenal slices was observed using a MT antiserum. At the ultrastructural level, the immunogold technique revealed that the AVT-immunoreactive peptide is sequestered in chromaffin granules with varying electron densities. Filtration of frog adrenal tissue extracts on Sep-Pak C-18 cartridges showed that the elution profile of the AVT-like peptide was similar to that of synthetic AVT. The apparent concentration of AVT in the adrenal was 2.7 ng/g tissue. Since chromaffin cells represent approximately one third of all interrenal cells, the actual concentration of AVT in chromaffin tissue was about 8 ng/g tissue. The role of AVT in the regulation of frog adrenal steroidogenesis was studied in vitro using perifused frog interrenal slices. Graded doses of AVT (10(-10)-10(-7) M) induced a dose-dependent stimulation of both corticosterone and aldosterone secretion. The other neurohypophyseal peptides (vasopressin, oxytocin, and MT) were also able to enhance corticosteroid secretion, but AVT was by far the most potent stimulator of steroidogenesis. Prolonged administration (4 h) of AVT induced a rapid increase in corticosterone and aldosterone output, followed by a gradual decline of corticosteroid secretion. These results show that an AVT-like peptide is stored in chromaffin granules of frog adrenal gland. Our data also indicate that synthetic AVT is a potent stimulator of corticosteroid secretion by frog interrenal cells. Since in amphibians adrenocortical and chromaffin cells are intimately intermingled, these results suggest that AVT produced by chromaffin cells may regulate corticosteroid release locally, through a cell to cell mode of communication.
TL;DR: Clinical experiments and computer-assisted tomography studies support the hypothesis that a limbic system-hypothalamic disturbance results in excessive CRH secretion as well as enhanced adrenocortical activity, and that these factors contribute to excessive cortisol secretion in patients with depression.
TL;DR: Corticosterone replacement produced high prolonged plasma levels of corticosterone which were 10 times those of sham rats, and significantly increased levels of PNMT activity and mRNA, however, cortic testosterone replacement failed to restore PN MT activity and RNA levels fully.
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TL;DR: There may be more than one function for the apoSAA gene family related to site of and stimulus for expression after acute phase stimulation by casein or lipopolysaccharide, as indicated by induced SAA1 and SAA2 mRNA in epithelial lining the mucosa of the ileum and large intestine.
Abstract: Murine serum amyloid A1 (SAA1) and serum amyloid A2 (SAA2) are circulating, acute phase, high density apolipoproteins of unknown function. To pursue issues relating to their possible function their uptake and formation were studied. Kinetics of SAA protein distribution and gene expression after acute phase stimulation by casein or lipopolysaccharide were examined using immunocytochemistry for protein and RNA blot and in situ hybridization with probes for SAA1 and SAA2 mRNA. After casein injection, interstitial cells of testes, cells of adrenal cortex, kidney proximal convoluted tubule epithelia, and some parafollicular cells of spleen took up SAA in a time pattern related to plasma SAA levels. Extrahepatic SAA1 and SAA2 mRNA were induced by lipopolysaccharide in kidney proximal and distal convoluted tubule epithelia, and SAA1 mRNA was induced in epithelial lining the mucosa of the ileum and large intestine, indicating that there may be more than one function for the apoSAA gene family related to site of and stimulus for expression.
TL;DR: The present results show that ACTH and IGF-I are potent stimulating factors on bovine adrenal cell differentiated functions and that the effects of both peptides are synergistic.
TL;DR: It is suggested that hepatic microsomal enzyme induction can occur in association with treatment with mitotane and that this can lead to an increased destruction of exogenous steroid with clinical consequences.
Abstract: SUMMARY
Two cases are described in which metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma associated with Cushing's syndrome was treated with mitotane (o,p'DDD). The first patient had initially been treated by bilateral adrenalectomy and, whilst responding to mitotane biochemically and by remission of metastases, experienced repeated episodes of adrenal crisis requiring a substantial increase in steroid therapy. The second patient failed to respond to the drug, but evidence of hepatic enzyme induction was noted during its administration. It is suggested that hepatic microsomal enzyme induction can occur in association with treatment with mitotane and that this can lead to an increased destruction of exogenous steroid with clinical consequences.