Neostigmine-induced hyperglycemia is mediated by central muscarinic receptor in fed rats

Effects of Gatifloxacin on Serum Glucose Concentration in Normal and Diabetic Rats

To clarify the mechanisms of gatifloxacin (GFLX)-induced hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, the effect of GFLX on serum glucose levels was investigated in normal and diabetic rats. Rats received an intravenous injection of GFLX and their arterial blood was sampled periodically. Diabetic rats were produced by the intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin and nicotinamide. In normal rats, the serum glucose concentration was decreased by GFLX at 25 and 50 mg/kg, while it was elevated 0.25 h after the injection of 100 mg/kg of GFLX. Serum immunoreactive insulin (IRI) levels increased as the dose of GFLX increased. The serum epinephrine concentration rose rapidly after the injection of GFLX at 50 and 100 mg/kg. In diabetic rats, the serum glucose concentration was actually increased by GFLX at 50 mg/kg. The baseline concentration of IRI was lower and the degree of the elevation caused by GFLX was smaller in diabetic rats. Both diabetic and control rats showed an increase in the serum epinephrine concentration after the injection of 50 mg/kg of GFLX. In conclusion, GFLX-induced secretion of insulin and epinephrine would contribute to the abnormalities in glucose homeostasis. The response of serum glucose to GFLX may differ between diabetic and normal rats due to the alteration of insulin secretion.

Alterations in the muscarinic M1 and M3 receptor gene expression in the brain stem during pancreatic regeneration and insulin secretion in weanling rats

Muscarinic M1 and M3 receptor changes in the brain stem during pancreatic regeneration were investigated. Brain stem acetylcholine esterase activity decreased at the time of regeneration. Sympathetic activity also decreased as indicated by the norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI) content of adrenals and also in the plasma. Muscarinic M1 and M3 receptors showed reciprocal changes in the brain stem during regeneration. Muscarinic M1 receptor number decreased at time of regeneration without any change in the affinity. High affinity M3 receptors showed an increase in the number. The affinity did not show any change. The number of low affinity receptors decreased with decreased Kd at 72 hours after partial pancreatectomy. The Kd reversed to control value with a reversal of the number of receptors to near control value. Gene expression studies also showed a similar change in the mRNA level of M1 and M3 receptors. These alterations in the muscarinic receptors regulate sympathetic activity and maintain glucose level during pancreatic regeneration. Central muscarinic M1 and M3 receptor subtypes functional balance is suggested to regulate sympathetic and parasympathetic activity, which in turn control the islet cell proliferation and glucose homeostasis.

The selfish brain: competition for energy resources

The brain occupies a special hierarchical position in the organism. It is separated from the general circulation by the blood-brain barrier, has high energy consumption and a low energy storage capacity, uses only specific substrates, and it can record information from the peripheral organs and control them. Here we present a new paradigm for the regulation of energy supply within the organism. The brain gives priority to regulating its own adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration. In that postulate, the peripheral energy supply is only of secondary importance. The brain has two possibilities to ensure its energy supply: allocation or intake of nutrients. The term 'allocation' refers to the allocation of energy resources between the brain and the periphery. Neocortex and the limbic-hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) system control the allocation and intake. In order to keep the energy concentrations constant, the following mechanisms are available to the brain: (1) high and low-affinity ATP-sensitive potassium channels measure the ATP concentration in neurons of the neocortex and generate a 'glutamate command' signal. This signal affects the brain ATP concentration by locally (via astrocytes) stimulating glucose uptake across the blood-brain barrier and by systemically (via the LHPA system) inhibiting glucose uptake into the muscular and adipose tissue. (2) High-affinity mineralocorticoid and low-affinity glucocorticoid receptors determine the state of balance, i.e. the setpoint, of the LHPA system. This setpoint can permanently and pathologically be displaced by extreme stress situations (chronic metabolic and psychological stress, traumatization, etc.), by starvation, exercise, infectious diseases, hormones, drugs, substances of abuse, or chemicals disrupting the endocrine system. Disorders in the 'energy on demand' process or the LHPA-system can influence the allocation of energy and in so doing alter the body mass of the organism. In summary, the presented model includes a newly discovered 'principle of balance' of how pairs of high and low-affinity receptors can originate setpoints in biological systems. In this 'Selfish Brain Theory', the neocortex and limbic system play a central role in the pathogenesis of diseases such as anorexia nervosa and obesity.

The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and carotid receptors modulate hyperglycemia induced by hemorrhage

The aim of this study was to assess the role of cholinergic transmission in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and carotid body receptors in mediating a rise in plasma glucose levels in response to hemorrhagic hypotension in rats. Methylatropine (1x10(-9) mol) or 0.15 M NaCl (0.2 microl) was injected into the PVN of Wistar rats weighing 250-300 g bearing a chronic jugular catheter for blood sampling and hemorrhage (1.2 ml/100 g/2 min). Polyethylene cannulae (PE-10) were inserted into the left femoral artery for cardiovascular monitoring. In the other experimental protocol, hemorrhage was performed on rats submitted to bilateral carotid receptor denervation (H-CD). The results show that the hyperglycemic response to hemorrhage was decreased by either methylatropine (H-MA) treatment or bilateral carotid receptor denervation (10.3+/-0.4 mM, control, n=15 vs. 7.7+/-0.2 mM, H-MA, n=12, and 7.6+/-0.3 mM, H-CD, n=5, p<0.01). Furthermore, methylatropine did not affect the recovery of blood pressure after hemorrhage-induced hypotension, suggesting that the metabolic and pressor adjustments have different efferent pathways. Our data demonstrate that cholinergic input from the PVN and carotid receptors (chemo- and/or baroreceptors) might participate in the same neural pathway activated by hemorrhage-induced hypotension that produces hyperglycemia.

Hyperglycemia induced by intracerebroventricular choline: involvement of the sympatho-adrenal system

Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of choline (75-300 microg) produced a dose-dependent increase in blood glucose levels. Pre-treatment with the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, mecamylamine (50 microg, i.c.v.) blocked the hyperglycemia induced by choline (150 microg, i.c.v.), but the response was not affected by pre-treatment with the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, atropine (10 microg, i.c.v.). Pre-treatment with the neuronal choline uptake inhibitor, hemicholinium-3 (20 microg, i.c.v.), attenuated the hyperglycemia induced by choline. The hyperglycemic response to choline was associated increased plasma levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline. The hyperglycemia elicited by choline was greatly attenuated by bilateral adrenalectomy, and entirely blocked by either surgical transection of the splanchnic nerves or by pre-treatment with the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, phentolamine. These data show that choline, a precursor of acetylcholine, increases blood glucose and this effect is mediated by central nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activation. An increase in sympatho-adrenal activity appears to be involved in the hyperglycemic effect of choline.

Octreotide-induced suppression of the hyperglycemic response to neostigmine or bombesin: relationship to hypothalamic noradrenergic drive

Neostigmine (cholinesterase inhibitor) or bombesin, when injected into the third cerebral ventricle of awake rat, dose-dependently increased serum glucose with the simultaneous rise in hypothalamic noradrenergic neuronal activity (NAA). Co-administration of octreotide with neostigmine or bombesin suppressed the hypothalamic NNA response with the simultaneous inhibition of the hyperglycemic response. There was a close relationship between hypothalamic NNA and serum glucose in these studies. On the basis of the concept that hypothalamic noradrenergic drive plays an important role in mediating the hyperglycemic response to stressful stimuli, the present findings suggest that the hyperglycemic response to neostigmine or bombesin is mediated via the interaction with hypothalamic noradrenergic neurons.

Low plasma epinephrine in elderly female subjects of dementia of Alzheimer type

One of the robust features of brain pathologies of dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT) is the impairment of the hippocampus, especially the cholinergic system. Several animal studies have suggested that the cholinergic system in the hippocampus is involved in the control of the plasma level of catecholamines and glucose. The stimulation of the hippocampal cholinergic system has resulted in the elevation of plasma catecholamines and glucose in rats. In the present study, we measured the plasma level of epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, glucose, and insulin during a fasting state in the morning in hospitalized DAT (n=66), vascular dementia (VD) (n=28), or non-demented (ND) (n=21) females (mean age DAT=82. 49+/-4.98, VD=82.86+/-5.86, ND=82.95+/-7.77, respectively). Statistical analysis showed that the plasma level of epinephrine during a fasting state in DAT subjects was significantly lower than that of ND subjects; however, in VD subjects the level of epinephrine was not different from that of ND subjects. Other values did not differ significantly among the groups.

Effect of intracerebroventricular injection of atropine on metabolic responses during exercise in untrained rats

To investigate the role of the central cholinergic system in the regulation of metabolism during exercise, we injected atropine (5 x 10(-7) mol) into the lateral cerebral ventricle of normal and adrenodemedullated (ADM) untrained rats submitted to exercise on a treadmill (15 m min(-1), 5% grade) until exhaustion. Concentrations of blood glucose, plasma free fatty acids (FFA), and lactate were measured before and every 10 min after the start of exercise for a period of 60 min. Adrenomedullectomy had no effect on the maximal capacity of exercise (MCE), but atropine administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) reduced the maximal capacity of exercise of both normal and ADM rats. In normal rats, blood concentrations of glucose and plasma free fatty acids remained essentially unchanged compared to the levels at rest, whereas in ADM rats a rapid increase in plasma glucose and plasma free fatty acids levels occurred during exercise. These data indicate that adrenomedullectomy disrupted the accuracy of the feedback mechanism that regulates the mobilization of extramuscular fuels during exercise in normal rats. In addition, ADM rats showed an increased lipid mobilization as a source of energy during exercise, which might explain the increased plasma glucose by an inhibition of muscle glucose uptake. These results suggest that central cholinergic neurons might be involved in the control of energy substrate adjustment during exercise, thereby reducing the maximal capacity of exercise. In addition, the results of this study suggest that the adrenal glands are important for an accurate feedback mechanism during exercise.

Swimming stress that causes hyperglycemia increases in vivo release of noradrenaline, but not acetylcholine, from the hypothalamus of conscious rats

The effects of acute swimming stress (10 min) on noradrenaline release from the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH; consisting of the ventromedial and dorsomedial hypothalamus) and acetylcholine release from the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) were investigated in freely moving rats by using in vivo microdialysis techniques. Serum glucose, noradrenaline and adrenaline concentrations were also determined. Acute swimming stress produced significant hyperglycemia, with increases in serum noradrenaline and adrenaline concentrations. The release of noradrenaline from the MBH was significantly stimulated during the swimming stress. On the other hand, the swimming stress has no significant effect on the release of acetylcholine from the LHA. These findings support the idea that hypothalamic noradrenergic neurons play an important role in the sympathoadrenal hyperglycemic response to stressful stimuli. Moreover, it is suggested that hypothalamic cholinergic neurons are not involved in the responses of serum glucose, noradrenaline and adrenaline concentrations to swimming stress.

Role of central neural mechanisms in the regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism

Central monoamine neurotransmitters affect blood glucose homeostasis. Activation of central cholinergic, noradrenergic histaminergic, and serotonergic neurons rapidly increase hepatic glucose output via the sympathetic nervous system. Acute hyperglycemia is mediated by three distinct pathways: the action of epinephrine on the liver, the action of glucagon on the liver, and the direct innervation of the liver. The relative contribution of these factors to hyperglycemia can be altered by diet and the kinds of neurotransmitters evoked in the central nervous system, but the magnitude of epinephrine secretion is closely related to the magnitude of hyperglycemia. On the other hand, neuropharmacological stimulation of central cholinergic muscarinic receptors, histaminergic H1 receptors, and serotonergic 5-HT2 receptors increases hypothalamic noradrenergic neuronal activity, which is associated with hyperglycemia. In contrast, central GABAA receptors play an inhibitory role in the regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism. Thus, central monoaminergic neurons could be linked together, and play a homeostatic role in the regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism.

Effects of carbaryl on some dopaminergic behaviors in rats

1. The effects of acute oral administration of carbaryl (10-80 mg/kg), a carbamate insecticide, on some experimental models for detecting dopaminergic activity were examined in rats. Also, serum biochemical variables following carbaryl treatments were determined. 2. Carbaryl (20 and 40 mg/kg) significantly increased the number of apomorphine-induced yawns and at dose of 80 mg/kg it prolonged the duration time of haloperidol-induced catalepsy. Pretreatment with carbaryl failed to affect apomorphine-induced stereotypes. 3. Carbaryl significantly reduced blood cholinesterase activity and elevated blood glucose levels and SGOT and SGPT activities. 4. These results indicate that low oral doses of carbaryl can cause behavioral and toxicological effects in rats.

Intracerebroventricular administration of somatostatin octapeptide counteracts the hormonal and metabolic responses to stress in normal and diabetic dogs

Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of carbachol elicits hormonal and metabolic responses similar to moderate stress. In normal dogs, ICV carbachol stimulated marked counterregulatory hormone release, but altered plasma glucose only marginally because the marked increment in glucose production (Ra) was almost matched by the increment of utilization (Rd), even though plasma insulin was unchanged. In alloxan-diabetic dogs, Rd did not match Ra and plasma glucose increased substantially. Since somatostatin octapeptide (ODT8-SS) inhibits some sympathetic mechanisms of the stress response, we explored the extent to which ODT8-SS can alleviate the counterregulatory responses to stress induced by carbachol, and particularly whether it can restore glycemic control in diabetes. ODT8-SS (20 nmol) was ICV-injected (1) in normal dogs (n = 5), and (2) prior to ICV carbachol before (n = 7) and after (n = 6) the induction of alloxan-diabetes. ODT8-SS did not affect basal values, but when administered before ICV carbachol there were no significant increments in plasma epinephrine, cortisol, arginine vasopressin (AVP), insulin, glucose, or lactate. There were significant increases in norepinephrine, glucagon, Ra, Rd, and the glucose metabolic clearance rate (MCR), although they were much smaller than seen previously with ICV carbachol alone. After induction of alloxan-diabetes, Rd and MCR did not change with ICV ODT8-SS and carbachol as in normal dogs, but norepinephrine, epinephrine, glucagon, lactate, plasma glucose, and Ra increased, although with the exception of glucagon these increases were much smaller than seen previously with ICV carbachol alone. ODT8-SS administered before ICV carbachol in normal or diabetic animals resulted in increased free fatty acid (FFA) levels. The increases in glycerol were less than and those in FFA greater than seen previously with ICV carbachol alone. Since ODT8-SS does not alter basal counterregulatory hormone release but suppresses the release during stress, this is a useful probe to analyze some of the metabolic responses to stress. When the response to carbachol from our previous report is compared with the responses to carbachol + ODT8-SS, it is indicated that the stress-related increase in Ra was consistent with stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, whereas increased Rd is related to an unknown stress-related neuroendocrine mechanism that requires a permissive effect of insulin, since it was not seen in the frankly diabetic animals. We hypothesize that the stress-induced increase in Rd occurs not only in muscle but also in adipocytes, and that the somatostatin-induced attenuation of Rd decreased FFA re-esterification and consequently markedly increased stress-induced FFA release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Activation of GABAA receptor in the brain suppresses neostigmine or histamine-induced central nervous system-mediated hyperglycemia

We investigated the effect of GABA receptor agonists on the central nervous system (CNS)-mediated hyperglycemia induced by neostigmine or histamine in anesthetized fed rats. The injection of muscimol, GABAA receptor agonist (1, 2.5 nmol) into the third cerebral ventricle suppressed the hyperglycemia induced by intraventricular injection of neostigmine (1 x 10(-8) mol) or histamine (5 x 10(-7) mol). Baclofen, GABAB receptor agonist (1, 2.5 nmol), however, did not suppress these hyperglycemia. Neither muscimol nor baclofen (2.5 nmol) affected plasma glucose levels. These findings suggest that activation of GABAA receptor in the CNS suppresses the hyperglycemia induced by the stimulation of cholinoceptive neuron or histaminergic neuron, but activation of GABAB receptor does not affect them.

Suppression of central noradrenergic neuronal activity inhibits hyperglycemia

Hypothalamic noradrenergic neuronal activity (NNA) and hepatic glucose output are stimulated by stress. The aim of the present investigation was to examine whether the blockade of noradrenergic responses to stress might suppress the associated hyperglycemia. Mass spectrometry was used for analysis of norepinephrine (NE) and its neuronal metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG) in rat hypothalamus, and the ratio DHPG/NE was used as an index of NNA. Treatment of rats with 2-deoxy-D-glucose (500 mg/kg ip, -30 min), yohimbine (10 mg/kg ip, -20 min), or neostigmine (2 micrograms icv, -60 min) increased both NNA and serum glucose (P < 0.05). When rats were additionally pretreated with pentobarbital (60 mg/kg ip; -60 min), the NNA responses were blocked (P < 0.01). At the same time the hyperglycemic responses were also inhibited (P < 0.01). In rats that had reduced NNA due to 7 days "gentling," serum glucose levels were also significantly reduced (P < 0.001) compared with naive controls. The data demonstrate that inhibition of central noradrenergic activity is also associated with an inhibition of hyperglycemia, raising the concept that therapies aimed at reducing central NNA may have a role in the management of diseases with excessive hepatic glucose output such as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Role of brain histamine H1- and H2-receptors in neostigmine-induced hyperglycemia in rats

We previously reported that when neostigmine, an inhibitor of acetylcholine esterase, was injected into the third cerebral ventricle, the concentration of hepatic venous plasma glucose was increased via central muscarinic receptors in anesthetized rats. To determine whether brain histamine receptors are involved in cholinergic system transmission with regard to central nervous system (CNS)-mediated glucoregulation, we examined the effects of the H1 receptor antagonist pyrilamine and the H2 receptor antagonist ranitidine on neostigmine-induced hyperglycemia in anesthetized rats. The injection of pyrilamine (5 x 10(-9)-5 x 10(-7) mol) into the third cerebral ventricle suppressed hyperglycemia induced by intraventricular injection of neostigmine (1 x 10(-9) mol) in a dose-dependent manner. Injection of ranitidine (5 x 10(-9)-5 x 10(-7) mol) into the third cerebral ventricle did not suppress the hyperglycemia induced by neostigmine, but enhanced it in a dose-dependent manner. These findings suggest that neostigmine-induced CNS-mediated hyperglycemia is transmitted by not only brain cholinergic muscarinic receptors but also in part by histamine H1 receptors.

Relative contribution of nervous system and hormones to CNS-mediated hyperglycemia is determined by the neurochemical specificity in the brain

To determine whether CNS regulatory pathways are organized so that differential sympathetic outflow patterns occur in response to stress, we injected various doses of neostigmine or bombesin into the third cerebral ventricle of fed rats, and then measured the hepatic venous plasma concentrations of glucose, glucagon, insulin, and epinephrine. The following four groups of rats were studied. Group 1 was intact rats. Group 2 comprised intact rats receiving the constant infusion of a) somatostatin to inhibit the endogenous secretion of insulin and glucagon, and b) insulin to maintain the plasma insulin concentration at basal levels. The infusion was started from -30 minutes and given via a catheter in the femoral vein. Group 3 consisted of rats that underwent bilateral adrenal medullectomy (ADMX) one week before the experiment. Group 4 was ADMX rats administered a constant infusion of somatostain with insulin through a femoral vein, as above. The administration of 1 x 10(-9) mol neostigmine caused hepatic venous hyperglycemia mediated by three distinct pathways: 1) direct innervation of the liver, 2) a direct action of epinephrine on the liver, and 3) the action of glucagon on the liver. We estimated the relative contribution of these three factors to be about 47, 32, and 21%, respectively. Relative contributions of three factors of the doses of 5 x 10(-9) and 5 x 10(-8) mol neostigmine demonstrated an effect similar to that of 1 x 10(-9) mol neostigmine. Epinephrine was shown to be the only agent involved in the hyperglycemic response to intraventricular bombesin at doses of 1 x 10(-10), 1 x 10(-9), and 1 x 10(-8) mol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of intracerebroventricularly administered neostigmine on sympathetic neural activities of peripheral tissues in rats

Sympathetic nervous activity (SNA) in the liver, heart, pancreas and interscapular brown adipose tissue was examined 60 min after the third cerebroventricular injection of neostigmine (5 x 10(-8) mol) in rats. We employed the technique of specific gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for simultaneous analysis of norepinephrine (NE) and its primary neuronal metabolite, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (DHPG) and used the ratio DHPG/NE as an index of SNA. Neostigmine produced significant increases in the DHPG/NE ratio in all tissues investigated. Co-administration of atropine with neostigmine completely inhibited this neostigmine-induced effect. These findings suggest that the central cholinergic-muscarinic activation with neostigmine stimulates SNA in the peripheral tissues examined.

CNS stimulation does not affect hepatic venous glucose concentration in severely diabetic rats

To assess the role of the central nervous system (CNS) in carbohydrate metabolism in diabetes, neostigmine was injected into the third cerebral ventricle in fed rats with streptozotocin (STZ; 80 mg/kg)-induced diabetes under pentobarbital sodium anesthesia. Changes in hepatic venous plasma glucose concentrations were monitored. Neostigmine injection caused no significant changes in the hepatic venous plasma glucose concentration in untreated diabetic rats, whereas the glucose level increased significantly in insulin-treated diabetic rats similarly to the changes in normal control animals. In diabetic rats, the plasma levels of glucagon, epinephrine, and norepinephrine were increased significantly by neostigmine. After various doses (35-80 mg/kg) were given to rats, it was found that the higher the STZ dose, the lower was the hepatic glycogen content and the smaller was the glycemic response to neostigmine. Our results indicate that, in severe diabetes, CNS stimulation with neostigmine fails to increase hepatic glucose output, because glycogen stores are nearly exhausted and gluconeogenesis is already maximal.

Neither adrenergic nor cholinergic antagonists in the central nervous system affect 2-deoxy-D-glucose(2-DG)-induced hyperglycemia

To investigate whether the brain adrenergic and cholinergic neurotransmitter systems are involved in the regulation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG)-induced hyperglycemia, we studied the effects of adrenergic and cholinergic antagonists on 2-DG-induced secretion of epinephrine and glucagon, and hyperglycemia, in anesthetized fed rats. When 2-DG (10 mg/10 microliters) was injected into the third cerebral ventricle, hepatic venous plasma glucose, glucagon, and epinephrine concentrations were significantly increased. Co-administration of phentolamine, propranolol, atropine and hexamethonium (1 X 10(-7) mol) with 2-DG did not modify the hyperglycemia and hormonal responses normally observed after the administration of 2-DG alone. From this evidence we concluded that neither brain adrenoceptive nor cholinoceptive neurons are involved in the regulation of 2-DG-induced hyperglycemia.