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Showing papers on "Corticosterone published in 1989"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Findings support the concept that susceptibility of LEW/N rats to SCW arthritis is related to defective HPA axis responsiveness to inflammatory and other stress mediators and that resistance of F344/N Rats to SCw arthritis is regulated by an intact HPAaxis-immune system feedback loop.
Abstract: Inbred Lewis (LEW/N) female rats develop an arthritis in response to group A streptococcal cell wall peptidoglycan polysaccharide (SCW), which mimics human rheumatoid arthritis. Histocompatible Fischer (F344/N) rats do not develop arthritis in response to the same SCW stimulus. To evaluate this difference in inflammatory reactivity, we examined the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and its ability to modulate the development of the inflammatory response in LEW/N and F344/N rats. We have found that, in contrast to F344/N rats, LEW/N rats had markedly impaired plasma corticotropin and corticosterone responses to SCW, recombinant human interleukin 1 alpha, the serotonin agonist quipazine, and synthetic rat/human corticotropin-releasing hormone. LEW/N rats also had smaller adrenal glands and larger thymuses. Replacement doses of dexamethasone decreased the severity of LEW/N rats' SCW-induced arthritis. Conversely, treatment of F344/N rats with the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU 486 or the serotonin antagonist LY53857 was associated with development of severe inflammatory disease, including arthritis, in response to SCW. These findings support the concept that susceptibility of LEW/N rats to SCW arthritis is related to defective HPA axis responsiveness to inflammatory and other stress mediators and that resistance of F344/N rats to SCW arthritis is regulated by an intact HPA axis-immune system feedback loop.

715 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Data provide strong evidence that the defective LEW/N corticotropin and corticosterone responses to inflammatory and other stress mediators, and the Lew/N susceptibility to experimental arthritis, are due in part to a hypothalamic defect in the synthesis and secretion of CRH.
Abstract: We have recently found that susceptibility to streptococcal cell wall (SCW)-induced arthritis in Lewis (LEW/N) rats is due, in part, to defective inflammatory and stress mediator-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Conversely, the relative arthritis resistance of histocompatible Fischer (F344/N) rats is related to their intact responses to the same stimuli. Specifically, LEW/N rats, in contrast to F344/N rats, have markedly impaired plasma corticotropin and corticosterone responses to SCW, recombinant human interleukin 1 alpha, the serotonin agonist quipazine, or synthetic rat/human corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). To explore the mechanism of this defect, we examined the functional integrity of the hypothalamic CRH neuron in LEW/N rats compared to F344/N rats. LEW/N rats, in contrast to F344/N rats, showed profoundly deficient paraventricular nucleus CRH mRNA levels and hypothalamic CRH content in response to SCW. Compared to F344/N rats, there was no increase in LEW/N hypothalamic CRH content or CRH release from explanted LEW/N hypothalami in organ culture in response to recombinant interleukin 1 alpha. These data provide strong evidence that the defective LEW/N corticotropin and corticosterone responses to inflammatory and other stress mediators, and the LEW/N susceptibility to experimental arthritis, are due in part to a hypothalamic defect in the synthesis and secretion of CRH. The additional finding of deficient expression in LEW/N rats of the hypothalamic enkephalin gene, which is coordinately regulated with the CRH gene in response to stress, suggests that the primary defect is not in the CRH gene but is instead related to its inappropriate regulation.

565 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
27 Jan 1989-Science
TL;DR: The adrenal glands play a role in maintaining the structural integrity of the normal adult brain and Corticosterone replacement prevented both the adrenalectomy-induced granule cell loss and the attenuated physiological response.
Abstract: Adrenalectomy of adult male rats resulted in a nearly complete loss of hippocampal granule cells 3 to 4 months after surgery. Nissl and immunocytochemical staining of hippocampal neurons revealed that the granule cell loss was selective; there was no apparent loss of hippocampal pyramidal cells or of gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)-, somatostatin-, neuropeptide Y-, calcium binding protein-, or parvalbumin-containing hippocampal interneurons. The hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells of adrenalectomized animals exhibited normal electrophysiological responses to afferent stimulation, whereas responses evoked in the dentate gyrus were severely attenuated. Corticosterone replacement prevented both the adrenalectomy-induced granule cell loss and the attenuated physiological response. Thus, the adrenal glands play a role in maintaining the structural integrity of the normal adult brain.

535 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that corticosterone can alter the rations of neuropeptide mRNAs within individual cell type as well as alther the levels of a particular mRNA in the same or different directions in different cell types.
Abstract: The three major classes of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVH) provide a rich model for studying hormonal and neural influences on multiple neuropeptides expressed in individual cells. A great deal of previous work has examined this problem at the immunohistochemical level, where hormonal and neural influences on peptide levels have been established. In situ hybridization methods were used here to determine whether these effects are accompanied by measurable changes in neuropeptide mRNA levels. In the first series of experiments, the time-course of corticosterone replacement effects on corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA levels in parvicellular neuroendocrine cells of adrenalectomized animals were determined, and a doseresponse curve was established. CRH mRNA hybridization remains maximal with plasma levels of steroid up to about 50 ng/ml, then declines sharply between about 60–130 ng/ml, and is just detectable at higher levels. We confirmed that corticosterone decreases vasopressin mRNA levels in this cell group and showed that levels of preproenkephalin mRNA are also decreased, whereas no significant changes in cholecystokinin, β-preprotachykinin, and angiotensinogen mRNA levels could be detected. Thus, corticosterone decreases some neuropeptide mRNA levels and has no influence on others in this cell group. Tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA hybridization is also unaffected in this part of the nucleus. In a second group of experiments, the cell-type specificity of corticosterone influences was examined. It was found that while the hormone depresses CRH mRNA levels in parvicellular neurons, it increases such levels in PVH neurons with descending projections, in certain magnocellular neurosecretory neurons, and in a part of the central nucleus of the amygdala, whereas no influence was detected in the rostral lateral hypothalamic area. Furthermore, the stimulatory effects of corticosterone have different threshold levels in different cell groups. Thus, in different types of neurons, corticosterone may increase, decrease, or have no influence on CRH mRNA levels. In contrast, while corticosterone depresses vasopressin mRNA levels in parvicellular CRH neurons, it has no obvious effects on vasopressin mRNA levels in magnocellular or descending neurons; as with CRH, the effects of corticosterone on vasopressin mRNA levels are cell-type specific. In a third series of experiments it was shown that glucocorticoid receptor and mineralocorticoid receptor mRNAs are found in all three cell types in the PVH and that corticosterone tends to produce modest increases in mRNA levels for both receptors. Finally, it was shown that unilateral catecholamine-depleting knife cuts do not change mRNA levels for any of the neuropeptides (or steroid hormone receptors) examined here, although dramatic changes in neuropeptide levels themselves have been shown. The results indicate that corticosterone can alter the rations of neuropeptide mRNAs within individual cell type as well as alther the levels of a particular mRNA in the same or different directions in different cell types. The implications of these results for mechanisms underlying the stress response and for the concept of “biochemical switching” in anatomically fixed neural circuitry are discussed.

492 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
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


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that endogenous corticosterone release in rats with EAE plays an essential role in the spontaneous recovery that is observed in this condition, and the subsequent refractory phase that is characteristic of rats that have recovered from EAE induced by active immunization with MBP is not associated with chronically elevated cortic testosterone levels.
Abstract: Lewis rats with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), induced either by the subcutaneous injection of guinea pig myelin basic protein (MBP) or by the adoptive transfer of MBP-primed spleen cells, suffer from a single episode of paralysis from which they recover spontaneously. Animals developing EAE were found to have greatly elevated levels of corticosterone in the blood. This endogenous increase in steroid production was accompanied by lymphopenia and depressed delayed-type hypersensitivity responses to OVA, indicating that rats with EAE are immunosuppressed in an antigen-nonspecific fashion. Adrenalectomized rats given subcutaneous implants of corticosterone to maintain basal steroid levels invariably died when EAE was induced. However, if the steroid replacement therapy was adjusted to mimic the hormone levels that were observed in intact rats developing EAE, then the disease followed a nonfatal course closely resembling that seen in the nonadrenalectomized controls. Replacement therapy that achieved serum corticosterone levels slightly higher than those found in intact rats with EAE virtually suppressed the disease completely. It is concluded that endogenous corticosterone release in rats with EAE plays an essential role in the spontaneous recovery that is observed in this condition. However, the subsequent refractory phase that is characteristic of rats that have recovered from EAE induced by active immunization with MBP is not associated with chronically elevated corticosterone levels. This finding is discussed in the light of other data that suggest that unlike the spontaneous recovery, the refractory state has an immunological basis rather than an endocrinological basis.

334 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
29 Sep 1989-Science
TL;DR: The afterhyperpolarization component reduced by adrenalectomy is greater in aged rats than in young rats, suggesting that, with aging, there is an increased effect of corticosteroids on some calcium-mediated brain processes.
Abstract: Adrenal steroids bind specifically to hippocampal neurons under normal conditions and may contribute to hippocampal cell loss during aging, but little is known about the neurophysiological mechanisms by which they may change hippocampal cell functions. In the present studies, adrenal steroids have been shown to modulate a well-defined membrane conductance in hippocampal pyramidal cells. The calcium-dependent slow afterhyperpolarization is reduced in hippocampal slices from adrenalectomized rats, and it is increased after in vivo or in vitro administration of the adrenal steroid, corticosterone. Calcium action potentials are also reduced in adrenalectomized animals, indicating that the primary effect of corticosteroids may be on calcium conductance. The afterhyperpolarization component reduced by adrenalectomy is greater in aged rats than in young rats, suggesting that, with aging, there is an increased effect of corticosteroids on some calcium-mediated brain processes. Because elevated concentrations of intracellular calcium can be cytotoxic, these observations may increase the understanding of glucocorticoid involvement in brain aging as well as of the normal functions of these steroids in the brain.

286 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Lactation is associated with a selective inhibition of normal hypothalamic stress responses, and removal of the pups from mothers resulted in a return of CRF and enkephalin mRNA responses to stress within 2 days.
Abstract: The effect of lactation on stress-induced hormone responses and changes in hypothalamic mRNA was assessed in female rats. In control animals the stimulus of ip hypertonic saline resulted in increased plasma levels of corticosterone, oxytocin, and vasopressin and hypothalamic content of CRF and enkephalin mRNA. In lactating females, however, the corticosterone response to this stress failed to reach significance, the plasma oxytocin response was markedly reduced, and the vasopressin response was unaffected. Lactation also resulted in an abolition of the CRF and enkephalin mRNA responses to stress. In contrast, the hypothalamic CRF response to adrenalectomy was unaffected by lactation status. Removal of the pups from their mothers resulted in a return of CRF and enkephalin mRNA responses to stress within 2 days. Lactation is associated with a selective inhibition of normal hypothalamic stress responses.

182 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that the appearance of this enzyme correlates temporally with the postnatal increase in Leydig cell number and the developmental rise in serum testosterone and protects the testis from the deleterious effects of cortisol.
Abstract: Corticosteroid 11 beta-dehydrogenase, the enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of the biologically active steroid cortisol to its inactive metabolite cortisone, is present in testis. Since excess cortisol in men and other mammals and excess corticosterone in rodents cause physiological abnormalities including abnormal testicular function, it was pertinent to study the cellular distribution of 11 beta-dehydrogenase in the testis. Purified antiserum directed against homogeneous rat 11 beta-dehydrogenase was used to localize the enzyme in the developing rat testis. With immunofluorescence, the enzyme was not detectable in fetal testis or in the testis of young male rats until the 26th day of development. A few interstitial cells were stained in the testis of 26-day-old animals. In the testis of 31-day-old rats many cells in the interstitium were positive. In adult animals the entire interstitial region displayed bright fluorescence. Depleting animals of germ cells did not abolish the fluorescence. The appearance of this enzyme correlates temporally with the postnatal increase in Leydig cell number and the developmental rise in serum testosterone. We suggest that 11 beta-dehydrogenase of Leydig cells protects the testis from the deleterious effects of cortisol.

177 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The finding on the negative regulation of P450(17 alpha) protein synthesis by testosterone suggest that the steroidogenic P450 enzymes in Leydig cells are negatively regulated by steroid hormones acting via their cognate receptors.
Abstract: The regulation of cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc) by glucocorticoids was investigated in mouse Leydig cell cultures. We recently demonstrated that P450scc is constitutively synthesized in Leydig cells and that the rate of P450scc synthesis is increased by chronic treatment of the cultures with 8-bromo-cAMP. We now report that glucocorticoids, specifically, decrease the constitutive and cAMP-induced synthesis of P450scc protein as well as the accumulation of P450scc mRNA. The treatment of cultures with as little as 10 nM dexamethasone resulted in a 50-60% decrease in the rate of synthesis of P450scc protein and mRNA content. The glucocorticoid-mediated decrease in P450scc synthesis was prevented when cultures were treated with the antiglucocorticoid RU-486. RU-486 alone had no effect on the rate of protein synthesis. The effect was specific for glucocorticoids; corticosterone (100 nM) or cortisol (100 nM) brought about a similar decrease as dexamethasone. Treatment of cultures with the progesterone agonist R5020 (100 nM), testosterone (2 microM), or estradiol (50 nM) had no effect on the rate of specific protein synthesis. The synthesis of iron sulfur protein reductase (ISP-reductase) and F1-ATPase were not affected by dexamethasone, indicating that the effect was specific for P450scc. The amount of P450scc mRNA was decreased 61% by dexamethasone and increased 144% by treatment with 8-bromo-cAMP. These data together with our previous finding on the negative regulation of P450(17 alpha) protein synthesis by testosterone suggest that the steroidogenic P450 enzymes in Leydig cells are negatively regulated by steroid hormones acting via their cognate receptors.

172 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results strongly suggest that the majority of corticosteroid feedback inhibition of basal morning and evening ACTH secretion is mediated transynaptically by the activity of extra-hypothalamic neurons.
Abstract: These studies were performed to determine pharmacologically the corticosteroid receptor type that mediates the effects of corticosterone (B) on ACTH secretion in adrenalectomized rats. We have compared the effects of treating young male rats at the time of adrenalectomy and throughout the next 5 days with B, dexamethasone (DEX), or aldosterone (ALDO) in doses that elevated plasma levels to concentrations in the range between 0.2-30 nM. Plasma ACTH, corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG), and thymus weight were measured in the morning or evening, and these steroid-sensitive end points were related to the circulating concentrations of B (total B - CBG-bound B), total DEX, and total ALDO. For the inhibition of ACTH the rank order of potency of the three steroids was B greater than DEX greater than or equal to ALDO in the morning (estimated IC50, 0.7 +/- 0.1, 2.3 +/- 0.5, and 4.9 +/- 1.6 nM for B, DEX, and ALDO, respectively). There was a significant shift to the right in steroid efficacy between morning and evening (estimated IC50 in the evening, 3.9 +/- 0.2 and 9.3 +/- 0.8 nM for B and DEX; ALDO at the concentrations achieved was ineffective). The rightward shift in efficacy may result from the circadian increase in drive to ACTH secretion. The rank order of potency for B and DEX on ACTH and the agreement between the steady state IC50 values achieved for these steroids and the Kd values determined for B and DEX with type I receptors in vitro strongly suggest that feedback control of basal diurnal ACTH by corticosteroids is mediated by association with type I, B-preferring receptors. By contrast, DEX was 3 times more potent than B on CBG (estimated IC50, 1.5 and 4.5 nM, respectively) and tended to be more effective on thymus weight, suggesting that the effects of corticosteroids on these peripheral targets are mediated by association of the steroids with type II glucocorticoid receptors. ALDO coinfused with DEX or B did not alter the inhibitory effects of these on ACTH, suggesting that ALDO does not interfere with these type I, B-preferring receptors in vivo. Because there is little if any evidence for type I corticosteroid receptors in the hypothalamus, these results strongly suggest that the majority of corticosteroid feedback inhibition of basal morning and evening ACTH secretion is mediated transynaptically by the activity of extra-hypothalamic neurons.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Drawing conclusions are drawn from continuous infusion studies where corticosterone yields a bitonic dose-response curve for body weight gain and feeding efficiency and type I and type II corticosteroid receptor binding.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that pituitary-adrenal activation in response to Il-1 is caused by CRF secretion from a subtype of CRF neurons (not storing AVP) in the rat hypothalamus.
Abstract: Effects on turnover of vasopressin (AVP) in the hypothalamus and on secretion of pituitary hormones, catecholamines and insulin after intraperitoneal injection of recombinant interleukin-1 (beta) (IL-1) were investigated in male wistar rats. Intraper-itoneal administration of IL-1 in a dose (1 µg) that maximally activated pituitary-adrenal activity failed to alter plasma concentrations of prolactin, luteinizing hormone and melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Rats chronically cannulated in the right jugular veins showed a time-related increase in plasma corticosterone concentrations in response to intraperitoneal administration of IL-1 that lasted up to 4 h. In the same rats, plasma epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) concentrations were only slightly elevated (2-fold increase) at 30 min and at 1 h after IL-1 administration. Unlike in endotoxin-resistant C3H/HeJ mice, where IL-1 induces hypoglycemia, IL-1 did not affect plasma concentrations of glucose and insulin in Wistar rats. In the zona externa of the median eminence, IL-1 stimulated corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) turnover at an approximate rate of 15%/h, but did not cause a concomitant change in AVP turnover as can be observed after insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Since half of the hypothalamic CRF neurons have been shown to costore AVP, the data favor the view of a selective effect of IL-1 on a subtype of CRF neurons. We conclude that pituitary-adrenal activation in response to II-1 is caused by CRF secretion from a subtype of CRF neurons (not storing AVP) in the rat hypothalamus. Furthermore, the small and transient increase of plasma E and NE may be caused by a presynaptic action of IL-1 on sympathetic nerves in immune and/or other organs or may involve central CRF projections regulating sympathetic outflow.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that specific G-protein subunits--namely, Gs alpha and Gi alpha--are under the coordinated control of glucocorticoids in rat brain and demonstrate that G proteins are physiological targets of gluc Cocorticoid in vivo.
Abstract: The possibility that glucocorticoids regulate specific guanine nucleotide binding regulatory proteins (G proteins) was investigated in rat cerebral cortex. Corticosterone was administered to normal and bilaterally adrenalectomized rats, and hormone regulation of individual G-protein subunits was investigated in cerebral cortex in three ways: (i) immunoblot analysis of subunit protein, (ii) hybridization blot analysis of subunit mRNA, and (iii) ADP-ribosylation analysis of stimulatory G protein (Gs alpha) subunits. Chronic (7 days) corticosterone administration to normal rats increased levels of Gs alpha immunoreactivity, mRNA, and ADP-ribosylation but decreased levels of inhibitory G protein (Gi alpha) mRNA and tended to decrease levels of Gi alpha immunoreactivity. In contrast, levels of Go alpha and G beta immunoreactivity and mRNA were not influenced by corticosterone treatment. In adrenalectomized rats, corticosterone treatment produced a 25-50% increase in the levels of Gs alpha immunoreactivity, mRNA, and ADP-ribosylation, whereas the hormone produced a 20-35% decrease in the levels of Gi alpha immunoreactivity and mRNA. Adrenalectomy, without corticosterone replacement, produced the opposite effects on Gs alpha and Gi alpha compared to sham-operated controls, indicating that these G proteins are regulated by this class of steroid hormone under physiological conditions in vivo. The results indicate that specific G-protein subunits--namely, Gs alpha and Gi alpha--are under the coordinated control of glucocorticoids in rat brain and demonstrate that G proteins are physiological targets of glucocorticoids in vivo. Possible roles played by these G-protein responses in mediating the effects of glucocorticoids on brain function are discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that the mesenteric vascular arcade is similarly highly aldosterone-selective in vivo, and in vitro shows considerable levels of 11 beta OH steroid dehydrogenase activity, previously postulated as the mechanism whereby glucocorticoids are excluded from physiological mineralocortioid receptors.
Abstract: in vitro, Type I receptors have high and equivalent affinity for aldosterone, corticosterone and cortisol : in vivo, physiological mineralocorticoid target tissues (kidney, colon, parotid) are highly aldosterone-selective, in contrast with hippocampus and heart. In the present study we show that the mesenteric vascular arcade is similarly highly aldosterone-selective in vivo, and in vitro shows considerable levels of 1130H steroid dehydrogenase activity, previously postulated as the mechanism whereby glucocorticoids are excluded from physiological mineralocorticoid receptors.

Journal ArticleDOI
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.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: F influenza virus can be regarded as a stressor because it activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and increases cerebral concentrations of tryptophan and norepinephrine catabolites, suggesting that noradrenergic and HPA activation are common concomitants of antigenic stimulation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that corticosteroids are necessary for sensitization of the dopaminergic system to occur and that they most probably act through the type II (or glucocorticoid) receptor subtype.

Journal ArticleDOI
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.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The data support and extend previous studies indicating that in utero ethanol exposure alters postnatal adrenocortical development and is specific to ethanol and unaltered by maternal nutritional status.
Abstract: Interactive effects of prenatal ethanol and maternal nutritional status on reproductive outcome and maternal and offspring adrenocortical activity were examined. Ethanol was administered to pregnant females in liquid diets (36% ethanol-derived calories) which were marginal or optimal in terms of requirements for pregnancy. Both pair-fed and ad libitum fed control groups were included. Females consuming ethanol from gestation Day 1 through parturition gained less weight, were delayed in parturition, and had fewer and smaller live born young than pair-fed or control females, regardless of whether they consumed marginal or optimal diets. Withdrawing ethanol on Day 21 of gestation attenuated many of ethanol's adverse effects on reproductive outcome. However, prenatal maternal ethanol intake altered adrenocortical activity/responsiveness of the mother, the fetus, and the preweaning offspring, regardless of maternal nutritional status. Relative adrenal weights and basal corticosterone levels were increased in the dam both prenatally and at parturition. Ethanol-exposed fetuses (A) had increased relative adrenal weights but lower basal corticosterone levels than pair-fed (PF) and control (C) fetuses on gestation Day 21. At birth, plasma and adrenal corticosterone levels were increased, while absolute adrenal weights and corticosterone binding globulin (CBG) binding capacity were decreased in A neonates. At 5 days of age, A pups showed reduced plasma corticoid responses to ether at 15 min poststress and to novelty or saline injection at 90-min post stress compared to PF and C pups. CBG binding capacity was also reduced in A pups. At 10 days of age, plasma corticosterone levels were lower overall in A and PF than in C pups following exposure to a number of different acute stressors while at 18 days plasma corticoids were decreased and adrenal corticosterone was increased in A compared to PF and/or C pups. These data support and extend previous studies indicating that in utero ethanol exposure alters postnatal adrenocortical development. This effect is specific to ethanol and unaltered by maternal nutritional status.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that although the exact mechanism remains to be elucidated, diurnal changes in the rate of CRH synthesis may be involved in the expression of diurnal rhythms within the hypothalamo-hypophysial-adrenal axis.
Abstract: The content of mRNA coding for the precursor of CRH in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVH) was measured in intact male and estrogen-treated ovariectomized female rats at different times of the day using in situ hybridization histochemistry Plasma corticosterone concentrations were measured in separate groups of animals at the same time points, with females showing higher levels than males at all times, and both sexes exhibiting the well characterized diurnal rhythm There was a significant decrease (greater in females) in the content of prepro-CRH (ppCRH) mRNA between midday and midnight in rats of both sexes Previous studies have demonstrated that the content of ppCRH mRNA in the PVH responds inversely to changes in the concentration of plasma corticosteroid in a concentration-dependent manner The present study suggests that ppCRH mRNA in the PVH may respond in a similar way to fluctuating concentrations of plasma corticosterone throughout the day, and that although the exact mecha

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: At the pituitary level the rapid as well as the delayed feedback inhibition of ACTH secretion by adrenal corticoids is exerted via type II glucocorticoid receptors, and both rapid and delayed feedback require the synthesis of new mRNA and protein.
Abstract: Glucocorticoid hormones suppress the release of ACTH by the anterior pituitary gland: rapid feedback inhibits hormone secretion within 30 min of steroid application, delayed feedback is most effective at 1–2 h, and slow feedback becomes manifest in several hours. The aim of the present study was to determine the type of glucocorticoid receptor that mediates the rapid and delayed feedback actions of glucocorticoids and whether genomic activation occurs during the rapid and delayed time domains. Rat anterior pituitary cell columns were perfused with Dulbecco's minimum essential medium, 41-residue CRF (10−9 M) was used as the secretagogue, which stimulated ACTH secretion to a peak of about 8- to 10-fold of basal release. The amount of ACTH released upon repeated 5 or 10 min stimulation with CRF was constant. Treatment with 10−7 M corticosterone for 20 min immediately before and for 10 min during stimulation with CRF reduced ACTH release by about 50% (rapid feedback), while at 1 h and 2 h after the i...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There were no significant differences between groups in their plasma corticosterone and H/L responses to frustration, however, a consistent trend towards greater adrenocortical activation was observed in the HF than in the LF hens.
Abstract: 1. Adult White Leghorn hens showing short or long tonic immobility reactions were classified as low‐fear (LF) or high‐fear (HF) responders, respectively. Following cannulation, their adrenocortical responsiveness to ACTH administration and the effects of chronic frustration induced by thwarting of feeding on plasma corticosterone concentrations and heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratios were measured at regular intervals. 2. ACTH injection elicited significant and similar mean increases in circulating corticosterone concentrations in both the LF and HF groups. 3. Absolute H/L ratios were higher in HF than in LF hens after cannulation, although both groups showed similar proportional increases from pre‐operation ratios. 4. Plasma corticosterone concentrations and H/L ratios were significantly increased at 20 h and 44 h respectively after the frustration of feeding regime began. Thus, adrenocortical activation preceded increases in H/L ratios but, whereas the elevated plasma corticosterone concentratio...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that the hypothalamic NPY-feeding system is largely dependent upon circulating CORT and that no other adrenal or pituitary hormone is essential.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Dose-dependent increases of plasma corticosterone resulted on infusing 8-OH-DPAT into the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus; increases were significantly greater in the females.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results of this study indicate that neither adrenal medulla-derived E nor AVP are significant regulators or coregulators of corticotroph secretions following a moderately high, single-dose, intragastric administration of ethanol.
Abstract: Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) by single-dose ethanol administration, which achieved moderately high blood ethanol levels, was explored in naive rats in order to determine the mechanism of ethanoΓs activation of the stress axis. Adult male rats received a single dose (3.2 g/kg body weight–1 of a 12% solution of ethanol in physiological saline. The plasma concentration of immunoreactive (ir) adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), beta-endorphin (BE) and corticosterone (CS) was determined by radioimmunoassay, whereas, plasma concentrations of epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) were quantified following reverse-phase liquid chromatographic separation and amperometric detection. Ethanol induced maximal plasma ACTH levels within minutes, which declined toward basal levels by 60 min, whereas, plasma concentration of CS rose rapidly and remained elevated at 60 min. Plasma ACTH and CS levels in saline-treated control animals did not vary significantly at any time point. Consistent with co-release of ACTH from corticotrophs, the plasma concentration of ir-BE increased 5-fold at 15 min and declined towards basal levels at 60 min after-ethanol challenge. Plasma E increased 10- to 20-fold as compared to saline controls or preinjection levels and returned to preinjection levels by 90 min, in a manner similar to ethanol-induced changes in proopiomela-nocortin-derived peptides and CS. Removal of the adrenal medulla and thus the source of E prior to ethanol administration, did not attenuate activation of the HPAA. Passive immunoneutralization of arginine vasopressin (AVP), using a high-titer AVP anti-serum and a protocol which was found to block ether-induced ACTH secretion by 40% in adult male rats, failed to even partially block ethanol-induced ACTH or CS secretion. The results of this study indicate that neither adrenal medulla-derived E nor AVP are significant regulators or coregulators of corticotroph secretions following a moderately high, single-dose, intragastric administration of ethanol.

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TL;DR: Results indicate that endothelin stimulates aldosterone biosynthesis in dispersed zona glomerulosa cells of rabbits, and that its effects is related to increase in intracellular calcium through voltage-dependent calcium channels.

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TL;DR: It is concluded that glucocorticoids are essential and sufficient to trigger the differentiation of noradrenergic sympathoadrenal precursors to adrenergic chromaffin cells after a functional glucoc Corticoid receptor system has been established.