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Hwang BE, Kim JY, Park YH. The effect of heart rate variability on the choroidal vascularity of the optical coherence tomography and angiography in central serous chorioretinopathy. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2024:10.1007/s00417-024-06575-x. [PMID: 39028320 DOI: 10.1007/s00417-024-06575-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate the correlation between the autonomic nervous system and choroidal vascularity in patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), using heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA). METHODS We retrospectively analyzed data of 25 patients with unilateral CSC (50 eyes, including the unaffected fellow eyes) and 25 healthy controls. The assessment involved a 5-minute HRV analysis encompassing both frequency and time domains, especially low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and LF/HF ratio. In OCT (12 × 9 mm) and en-face OCTA (3 × 3 mm) scans, we measured parameters including choroidal vascularity index (CVI), choroidal vessel density in the middle and deep layers, and choriocapillaris flow void. Regression analysis was conducted to elucidate the associations between HRV parameters and OCT/OCTA measurements. RESULTS Normalized LF(LFnorm) and LF/HF ratios were higher in patients with CSC than in healthy controls. LFnorm and the log-transformed ratio of LF to HF [log(LF/HF)] demonstrated a significant and borderline correlation with CVI in the linear regression analysis (P = 0.040, R2 = 0.171, and P = 0.059, R2 = 0.147, respectively). Both CVI and deep choroid vessel density showed a more significant association with LFnorm and log (LF/HF) in the non-linear quadratic regression analysis than in the linear analysis (all, P < 0.04, R2 > 0.25). CONCLUSION The frequency-domain parameters of HRV, including LFnorm and log (LF/HF), demonstrated a significant association with indicators reflective of large choroidal vessel luminal area on macular OCT/OCTA scans. This observation implies complicated modulation of choroidal blood flow by the autonomic nervous system in CSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Een Hwang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea
- Catholic Institute for Visual Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
| | - Joo-Young Kim
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Hoon Park
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea.
- Catholic Institute for Visual Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
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2
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Hatala P, Lajos A, Mackei M, Sebők C, Tráj P, Vörösházi J, Neogrády Z, Mátis G. Feline Uroepithelial Cell Culture as a Novel Model of Idiopathic Cystitis: Investigations on the Effects of Norepinephrine on Inflammatory Response, Oxidative Stress, and Barrier Function. Vet Sci 2023; 10:vetsci10020132. [PMID: 36851436 PMCID: PMC9961545 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10020132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) is one of the most common urinary tract disorders in domestic cats. As stress is suggested to play a key role in the pathogenesis of FIC, the effects of norepinephrine (NE) as a stress mediator were investigated on a novel feline primary uroepithelial cell culture, serving as an in vitro model of the disease. The uroepithelial cells gained from the mucosa of the bladder of a euthanized cat were cultured for 6 days and were acutely exposed to NE (10, 100, and 1000 µM) for 1 h. NE increased the metabolic activity of the cultured cells and elevated the extracellular concentrations of the pro-inflammatory mediators interleukin-6 (IL-6) and stromal cell derived factor 1 (SDF-1), confirming that NE can trigger an inflammatory response in the uroepithelium. Cellular protein carbonyl levels were increased by NE exposure, while malondialdehyde and glucose regulated protein 78 concentrations remained unchanged, indicating that NE may provoke the oxidative damage of proteins without inducing lipid peroxidation or endoplasmic reticulum stress. Further, it can be strongly suggested that an acute NE challenge might diminish the barrier function of uroepithelial cells, as reflected by the decreased glycosaminoglycan concentration, claudin-4 protein expression, and reduced TER values of the NE-treated cell cultures. Based on these results, short-term NE exposure mimicking acute stress can provoke an inflammatory response and decrease the barrier integrity of cultured feline uroepithelial cells. Hence, it is highly expected that stress-associated NE release may play an important mediatory role in the pathogenesis of FIC.
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Bruns B, Daub R, Schmitz T, Hamze-Sinno M, Spaich S, Dewenter M, Schwale C, Gass P, Vogt M, Katus H, Herzog W, Friederich HC, Frey N, Schultz JH, Backs J. Forebrain corticosteroid receptors promote post-myocardial infarction depression and mortality. Basic Res Cardiol 2022; 117:44. [PMID: 36068417 PMCID: PMC9448693 DOI: 10.1007/s00395-022-00951-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Myocardial infarction (MI) with subsequent depression is associated with increased cardiac mortality. Impaired central mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) equilibrium has been suggested as a key mechanism in the pathogenesis of human depression. Here, we investigate if deficient central MR/GR signaling is causative for a poor outcome after MI in mice. Mice with an inducible forebrain-specific MR/GR knockout (MR/GR-KO) underwent baseline and follow-up echocardiography every 2 weeks after MI or sham operation. Behavioral testing at 4 weeks confirmed significant depressive-like behavior and, strikingly, a higher mortality after MI, while cardiac function and myocardial damage remained unaffected. Telemetry revealed cardiac autonomic imbalance with marked bradycardia and ventricular tachycardia (VT) upon MI in MR/GR-KO. Mechanistically, we found a higher responsiveness to atropine, pointing to impaired parasympathetic tone of 'depressive' mice after MI. Serum corticosterone levels were increased but-in line with the higher vagal tone-plasma and cardiac catecholamines were decreased. MR/GR deficiency in the forebrain led to significant depressive-like behavior and a higher mortality after MI. This was accompanied by increased vagal tone, depleted catecholaminergic compensatory capacity and VTs. Thus, limbic MR/GR disequilibrium may contribute to the impaired outcome of depressive patients after MI and possibly explain the lack of anti-depressive treatment benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastian Bruns
- Institute of Experimental Cardiology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg and DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Im Neuenheimer Feld 669, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany ,Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany ,Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Pneumology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ricarda Daub
- Institute of Experimental Cardiology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg and DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Im Neuenheimer Feld 669, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany ,Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Schmitz
- Institute of Experimental Cardiology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg and DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Im Neuenheimer Feld 669, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany ,Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Maria Hamze-Sinno
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Spaich
- Institute of Experimental Cardiology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg and DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Im Neuenheimer Feld 669, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany ,Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Pneumology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany ,Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Robert-Bosch-Krankenhaus, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Matthias Dewenter
- Institute of Experimental Cardiology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg and DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Im Neuenheimer Feld 669, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Chrysovalandis Schwale
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany ,Institute for Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Central Institute of Mental Health, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Medical Faculty of Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Miriam Vogt
- Central Institute of Mental Health, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Medical Faculty of Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Hugo Katus
- Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Pneumology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany ,DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site, Heidelberg/Mannheim, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Herzog
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hans-Christoph Friederich
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Norbert Frey
- Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Pneumology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany ,DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site, Heidelberg/Mannheim, Germany
| | - Jobst-Hendrik Schultz
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Johannes Backs
- Institute of Experimental Cardiology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg and DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Im Neuenheimer Feld 669, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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The Adrenergic Nerve Network in Cancer. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1329:271-294. [PMID: 34664245 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-73119-9_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
The central and autonomic nervous systems interact and converge to build up an adrenergic nerve network capable of promoting cancer. While a local adrenergic sympathetic innervation in peripheral solid tumors influences cancer and stromal cell behavior, the brain can participate to the development of cancer through an intermixed dysregulation of the sympathoadrenal system, adrenergic neurons, and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. A deeper understanding of the adrenergic nerve circuitry within the brain and tumors and its interactions with the microenvironment should enable elucidation of original mechanisms of cancer and novel therapeutic strategies.
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Moustafa A. Changes in nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and male reproductive hormones in response to chronic restraint stress in rats. Free Radic Biol Med 2021; 162:353-366. [PMID: 33130068 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2020.10.315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Gasotrasmitters are endogenously synthesized gaseous molecules that are engaged in cellular physiological and pathological processes. Stress influences various physiological aspects of an organism and amends a normal system's functions, including those of the reproductive system. This study aims to investigate the effect of long-term exposure to restraint stress on the male reproductive system as well as the possible impact of stress on the levels of nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and the expression of their producing-enzymes. In this study, rats were subjected to the restraint condition for 2 h per day and 7 days per week for 8 consecutive weeks. The results revealed decreases in the serum levels of kisspeptin-1(Kiss-1), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-s); however, corticosterone, gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), estradiol (E2) and prolactin levels increased following restraint stress. The mRNA expression levels of NO synthases (NOSs); neuronal NOS (nNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS) and H2S synthases; cystathionine-γ-lyase- (CSE), 3-mercaptopyruvate-sulfurtransferase- (3MST) and CO-producing enzyme; heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2) were upregulated in the hypothalamus of restraint rats. Testicular mRNA expression levels of endothelial NOS (eNOS), nNOS, HO-1 and HO-2 were upregulated whereas cystathionine β-synthase (CBS), CSE and 3MST expression levels were downregulated following restraint stress. Concentrations of NO increased in the testes but decreased in the semen of restraint rats. On the contrary, CO levels were reduced in the testes while they were elevated in the semen, whereas H2S concentrations decreased in both testes and semen of restraint rats. Concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), as well as total antioxidant capacity (TAC) rose in the testes, while they declined in the semen of the restraint group. Restraint stress decreases the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the testes while increasing them in the semen. Collectively, restraint stress negatively impacts male reproductive functions and modulates gasotransmitters producing-enzymes expression in the hypothalamus and testes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amira Moustafa
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, 44519, Zagazig, Egypt.
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Carol EE, Spencer RL, Mittal VA. Acute Physiological and Psychological Stress Response in Youth at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:641762. [PMID: 33679489 PMCID: PMC7933586 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.641762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Deficits in stress-response systems are a characteristic of schizophrenia and psychosis spectrum illnesses, and recent evidence suggests that this impairment may be evident in those at clinical high-risk (CHR) for the development of a psychotic disorder. However, there is limited research specifically investigating biological and subjective stress reactivity in CHR individuals. In the present study, 38 CHR individuals and group of 38 control individuals participated in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), an experimentally induced psychosocial stressor. Changes in salivary cortisol and alpha amylase, as well as self-reported units of distress (SUDS), were evaluated. Interestingly, the TSST did not induce a change in cortisol levels in either group, though the CHR group did show higher overall cortisol levels throughout the TSST (pre-anticipation period through recovery period). However, indicative of an effective task manipulation, the TSST did illicit an increase in alpha amylase in both groups. CHR participants exhibited higher levels of subjective stress prior to the stressor compared to the control group and CHR SUDs did not significantly increase in response to the stressor. In contrast, the control group showed an increase in SUDS in response to the stressor. Notably, SUDS for the control group post task mirrored the levels CHR youth endorsed prior to the stressor. Taken together, these findings suggest that there may be a functional relationship between persistently elevated cortisol and chronic high levels of subjective distress in CHR individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily E Carol
- Laboratory for Early Psychosis (LEAP) Center, Psychotic Disorders Division, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Robert L Spencer
- Spener Neuroendocrinology Laboratory, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Vijay A Mittal
- Adolescent Development and Preventative Treatment Program, Departments of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Medical Social Sciences, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
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8
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BENCZE M, VAVŘÍNOVÁ A, ZICHA J, BEHULIAK M. Pharmacological Suppression of Endogenous Glucocorticoid Synthesis Attenuated Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Response to Acute Restraint in Wistar Rats. Physiol Res 2020; 69:415-426. [DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.934432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCS) are known to modulate cardiovascular response during stress conditions. The present study was aimed to test the hypothesis that permissive and/or stimulating effect of GCs is essential for the maintenance of peripheral vascular resistance and for the adequate response of cardiovascular system to stressor exposure. The effects of acute pharmacological adrenalectomy (PhADX) on humoral and cardiovascular parameters were studied in adult Wistar rats under the basal conditions and during the acute restraint stress. Acute PhADX was performed by the administration of metyrapone and aminoglutethimide (100 mg/kg s.c. of each drug) resulting in a suppression of endogenous glucocorticoid synthesis. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and core body temperature were measured using radiotelemetry. BP responses to administration of vasoactive agents were determined in pentobarbital-anesthetized animals. PhADX considerably attenuated stress-induced increase of BP, HR and core body temperature. PhADX did not abolish BP and HR lowering effects of ganglionic blocker pentolinium indicating preserved sympathetic function in PhADX rats. BP response to exogenous norepinephrine administration was attenuated in PhADX rats, suggesting reduced sensitivity of cardiovascular system. Suppression of corticosterone synthesis by PhADX increased basal plasma levels of ACTH, aldosterone and plasma renin activity in unstressed animals but there was no further increase of these hormones following stressor exposure. In conclusion, PhADX attenuated stress-induced rise of blood pressure, heart rate and core body temperature indicating an important permissive and/or stimulating role of glucocorticoids in the maintenance of the adequate response of cardiovascular system and thermoregulation to several stimuli including acute exposure to stressor.
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Affiliation(s)
- M BENCZE
- Laboratory of Experimental Hypertension, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - A VAVŘÍNOVÁ
- Laboratory of Experimental Hypertension, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - J ZICHA
- Laboratory of Experimental Hypertension, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - M BEHULIAK
- Laboratory of Experimental Hypertension, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
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Ooishi Y. Correlation Between Resting Testosterone/Cortisol Ratio and Sound-Induced Vasoconstriction at Fingertip in Men. Front Physiol 2018; 9:164. [PMID: 29559922 PMCID: PMC5845581 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A sound-induced sympathetic tone has been used as an index for orienting responses to auditory stimuli. The resting testosterone/cortisol ratio is a biomarker of social aggression that drives an approaching behavior in response to environmental stimuli, and a higher testosterone level and a lower cortisol level can facilitate the sympathetic response to environmental stimuli. Therefore, it is possible that the testosterone/cortisol ratio is correlated with the sound-induced sympathetic tone. The current study investigated the relationship between the resting testosterone/cortisol ratio and vasoconstriction induced by listening to sound stimuli. Twenty healthy males aged 29.0 ± 0.53 years (mean ± S.E.M) participated in the study. They came to the laboratory for 3 days and listened to one of three types of sound stimuli for 1 min on each day. Saliva samples were collected for an analysis of salivary testosterone and cortisol levels on the day of each experiment. After the collecting the saliva sample, we measured the blood volume pulse (BVP) amplitude at a fingertip. Since vasoconstriction is mediated by the activation of the sympathetic nerves, the strength of the reduction in BVP amplitude at a fingertip was called the BVP response (finger BVPR). No difference was observed between the sound-induced finger BVPR for the three types of sound stimuli (p = 0.779). The correlation coefficient between the sound-induced finger BVPR and the salivary testosterone/cortisol ratio within participants was significantly different from no correlation (p = 0.011) and there was a trend toward a significance in the correlation between the sound-induced finger BVPR and the salivary testosterone/cortisol ratio between participants (r = 0.39, p = 0.088). These results suggest that the testosterone/cortisol ratio affects the difference in the sound-evoked sympathetic response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuuki Ooishi
- NTT Communication Science Laboratories, NTT Corporation, Atsugi, Japan
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Doig CL, Fletcher RS, Morgan SA, McCabe EL, Larner DP, Tomlinson JW, Stewart PM, Philp A, Lavery GG. 11β-HSD1 Modulates the Set Point of Brown Adipose Tissue Response to Glucocorticoids in Male Mice. Endocrinology 2017; 158:1964-1976. [PMID: 28368470 PMCID: PMC5460930 DOI: 10.1210/en.2016-1722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are potent regulators of energy metabolism. Chronic GC exposure suppresses brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenic capacity in mice, with evidence for a similar effect in humans. Intracellular GC levels are regulated by 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) activity, which can amplify circulating GC concentrations. Therefore, 11β-HSD1 could modulate the impact of GCs on BAT function. This study investigated how 11β-HSD1 regulates the molecular architecture of BAT in the context of GC excess and aging. Circulating GC excess was induced in 11β-HSD1 knockout (KO) and wild-type mice by supplementing drinking water with 100 μg/mL corticosterone, and the effects on molecular markers of BAT function and mitochondrial activity were assessed. Brown adipocyte primary cultures were used to examine cell autonomous consequences of 11β-HSD1 deficiency. Molecular markers of BAT function were also examined in aged 11β-HSD1 KO mice to model lifetime GC exposure. BAT 11β-HSD1 expression and activity were elevated in response to GC excess and with aging. 11β-HSD1 KO BAT resisted the suppression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and mitochondrial respiratory chain subunit proteins normally imposed by GC excess. Furthermore, brown adipocytes from 11β-HSD1 KO mice had elevated basal mitochondrial function and were able to resist GC-mediated repression of activity. BAT from aged 11β-HSD1 KO mice showed elevated UCP1 protein and mitochondrial content, and a favorable profile of BAT function. These data reveal a novel mechanism in which increased 11β-HSD1 expression, in the context of GC excess and aging, impairs the molecular and metabolic function of BAT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig L. Doig
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham B15 2TH, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel S. Fletcher
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham B15 2TH, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart A. Morgan
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham B15 2TH, United Kingdom
| | - Emma L. McCabe
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Dean P. Larner
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham B15 2TH, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy W. Tomlinson
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes Endocrinology & Metabolism, University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LE, United Kingdom
| | - Paul M. Stewart
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9NL, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Philp
- School of Sport Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Gareth G. Lavery
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham B15 2TH, United Kingdom
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Harris RBS. Chronic and acute effects of stress on energy balance: are there appropriate animal models? Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2015; 308:R250-65. [PMID: 25519732 PMCID: PMC4329465 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00361.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2014] [Accepted: 12/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Stress activates multiple neural and endocrine systems to allow an animal to respond to and survive in a threatening environment. The corticotropin-releasing factor system is a primary initiator of this integrated response, which includes activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The energetic response to acute stress is determined by the nature and severity of the stressor, but a typical response to an acute stressor is inhibition of food intake, increased heat production, and increased activity with sustained changes in body weight, behavior, and HPA reactivity. The effect of chronic psychological stress is more variable. In humans, chronic stress may cause weight gain in restrained eaters who show increased HPA reactivity to acute stress. This phenotype is difficult to replicate in rodent models where chronic psychological stress is more likely to cause weight loss than weight gain. An exception may be hamsters subjected to repeated bouts of social defeat or foot shock, but the data are limited. Recent reports on the food intake and body composition of subordinate members of group-housed female monkeys indicate that these animals have a similar phenotype to human stress-induced eaters, but there are a limited number of investigators with access to the model. Few stress experiments focus on energy balance, but more information on the phenotype of both humans and animal models during and after exposure to acute or chronic stress may provide novel insight into mechanisms that normally control body weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth B S Harris
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia
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12
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Brown NJ, Kimble RM, Rodger S, Ware RS, McWhinney BC, Ungerer JP, Cuttle L. Biological markers of stress in pediatric acute burn injury. Burns 2014; 40:887-95. [DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2013.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2013] [Revised: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Zoladz PR, Diamond DM. Current status on behavioral and biological markers of PTSD: a search for clarity in a conflicting literature. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 37:860-95. [PMID: 23567521 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2012] [Revised: 03/23/2013] [Accepted: 03/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Extensive research has identified stereotypic behavioral and biological abnormalities in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as heightened autonomic activity, an exaggerated startle response, reduced basal cortisol levels and cognitive impairments. We have reviewed primary research in this area, noting that factors involved in the susceptibility and expression of PTSD symptoms are more complex and heterogeneous than is commonly stated, with extensive findings which are inconsistent with the stereotypic behavioral and biological profile of the PTSD patient. A thorough assessment of the literature indicates that interactions among myriad susceptibility factors, including social support, early life stress, sex, age, peri- and post-traumatic dissociation, cognitive appraisal of trauma, neuroendocrine abnormalities and gene polymorphisms, in conjunction with the inconsistent expression of the disorder across studies, confounds attempts to characterize PTSD as a monolithic disorder. Overall, our assessment of the literature addresses the great challenge in developing a behavioral and biomarker-based diagnosis of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip R Zoladz
- Department of Psychology, Sociology, & Criminal Justice, Ohio Northern University, 525 S. Main St., Ada, OH, 45810, USA
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Zamora-González EO, Santerre A, Palomera-Avalos V, Morales-Villagrán A. A chronic combinatory stress model that activates the HPA axis and avoids habituation in BALB/C mice. J Neurosci Methods 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2012.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Adameova A, Abdellatif Y, Dhalla NS. Role of the excessive amounts of circulating catecholamines and glucocorticoids in stress-induced heart disease. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 2010; 87:493-514. [PMID: 19767873 DOI: 10.1139/y09-042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Various stressful stimuli are known to activate the sympathetic nervous system to release catecholamines and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to release glucocorticoids in the circulation. Although initial actions of both catecholamines and glucocorticoids are beneficial for the function of the cardiovascular system, their delayed effects on the heart are deleterious. Glucocorticoids not only increase plasma levels of catecholamines by inhibiting their extraneuronal uptake, but they have also been shown to induce supersensitivity to catecholamines in the heart by upregulating different components of the betta-adrenoceptor signal transduction system. Low concentrations of catecholamines stimulate the heart by promoting Ca2+ movements, whereas excessive amounts of catecholamines produce cardiac dysfunction by inducing intracellular Ca2+ overload in cardiomyocytes. Several studies have shown, however, that under stressful conditions high concentrations of catecholamines become oxidized to form aminolutins and generate oxyradicals. These oxidation products of catecholamines have been demonstrated to produce coronary spasm, arrhythmias, and cardiac dysfunction by inducing Ca2+-handling abnormalities in both sarcolemmal and sarcoplasmic reticulum, defects in energy production by mitochondria, and myocardial cell damage. In this article we have focused the discussion to highlight the interrelationship between catecholamines and glucocorticoids and to emphasize the role of oxidation products of catecholamines in the development of stress-induced heart disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Adameova
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface General Hospital Research Centre, and Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, 351 Tache Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R2H 2A6, Canada
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16
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Bao S, Briscoe VJ, Tate DB, Davis SN. Effects of differing antecedent increases of plasma cortisol on counterregulatory responses during subsequent exercise in type 1 diabetes. Diabetes 2009; 58:2100-8. [PMID: 19509020 PMCID: PMC2731524 DOI: 10.2337/db09-0382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Antecedent hypoglycemia can blunt neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous system responses to next-day exercise in type 1 diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine whether antecedent increase of plasma cortisol is a mechanism responsible for this finding. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS For this study, 22 type 1 diabetic subjects (11 men and 11 women, age 27 +/- 2 years, BMI 24 +/- 1 kg/m(2), A1C 7.9 +/- 0.2%) underwent four separate randomized 2-day protocols, with overnight normalization of blood glucose. Day 1 consisted of morning and afternoon 2-h hyperinsulinemic- (9 pmol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) euglycemic clamps (5.1 mmol/l), hypoglycemic clamps (2.9 mmol/l), or euglycemic clamps with a physiologic low-dose intravenous infusion of cortisol to reproduce levels found during hypoglycemia or a high-dose infusion, which resulted in further twofold greater elevations of plasma cortisol. Day 2 consisted of 90-min euglycemic cycling exercise at 50% Vo(2max). RESULTS During exercise, glucose levels were equivalently clamped at 5.1 +/- 0.1 mmol/l and insulin was allowed to fall to similar levels. Glucagon, growth hormone, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and pancreatic polypeptide responses during day 2 exercise were significantly blunted following antecedent hypoglycemia, low- and high-dose cortisol, compared with antecedent euglycemia. Endogenous glucose production and lipolysis were also significantly reduced following day 1 low- and high-dose cortisol. CONCLUSIONS Antecedent physiologic increases in cortisol (equivalent to levels occurring during hypoglycemia) resulted in blunted neuroendocrine, autonomic nervous system, and metabolic counterregulatory responses during subsequent exercise in subjects with type 1 diabetes. These data suggest that prior elevations of cortisol may play a role in the development of exercise-related counterregulatory failure in those with type 1 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shichun Bao
- Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Vanessa J. Briscoe
- Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Donna B. Tate
- Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Stephen N. Davis
- Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Veterans Administration Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee
- Corresponding author: Stephen N. Davis,
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Fischler M, Maggiorini M, Dorschner L, Debrunner J, Bernheim A, Kiencke S, Mairbäurl H, Bloch KE, Naeije R, Rocca HPBL. Dexamethasone But Not Tadalafil Improves Exercise Capacity in Adults Prone to High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2009; 180:346-52. [DOI: 10.1164/rccm.200808-1348oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Abstract
Glucocorticoids, hormones produced by the adrenal gland cortex, perform numerous functions in body homeostasis and the response of the organism to external stressors. One striking feature of their regulation is a diurnal release pattern, with peak levels linked to the start of the activity phase. This release is under control of the circadian clock, an endogenous biological timekeeper that acts to prepare the organism for daily changes in its environment. Circadian control of glucocorticoid production and secretion involves a central pacemaker in the hypothalamus, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, as well as a circadian clock in the adrenal gland itself. Central circadian regulation is mediated via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system, while the adrenal gland clock appears to control sensitivity of the gland to the adrenocorticopic hormone (ACTH). The rhythmically released glucocorticoids in turn might contribute to synchronisation of the cell-autonomous clocks in the body and interact with them to time physiological dynamics in their target tissues around the day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Dickmeis
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
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19
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Zoladz PR, Diamond DM. Linear and non-linear dose-response functions reveal a hormetic relationship between stress and learning. Dose Response 2008; 7:132-48. [PMID: 19543480 DOI: 10.2203/dose-response.08-015.zoladz] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Over a century of behavioral research has shown that stress can enhance or impair learning and memory. In the present review, we have explored the complex effects of stress on cognition and propose that they are characterized by linear and non-linear dose-response functions, which together reveal a hormetic relationship between stress and learning. We suggest that stress initially enhances hippocampal function, resulting from amygdala-induced excitation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity, as well as the excitatory effects of several neuromodulators, including corticosteroids, norepinephrine, corticotropin-releasing hormone, acetylcholine and dopamine. We propose that this rapid activation of the amygdala-hippocampus brain memory system results in a linear dose-response relation between emotional strength and memory formation. More prolonged stress, however, leads to an inhibition of hippocampal function, which can be attributed to compensatory cellular responses that protect hippocampal neurons from excitotoxicity. This inhibition of hippocampal functioning in response to prolonged stress is potentially relevant to the well-described curvilinear dose-response relationship between arousal and memory. Our emphasis on the temporal features of stress-brain interactions addresses how stress can activate, as well as impair, hippocampal functioning to produce a hormetic relationship between stress and learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip R Zoladz
- Medical Research Service, VA Hospital, and University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA
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20
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Scheuer DA, Bechtold AG, Vernon KA. Chronic activation of dorsal hindbrain corticosteroid receptors augments the arterial pressure response to acute stress. Hypertension 2006; 49:127-33. [PMID: 17088452 PMCID: PMC5730874 DOI: 10.1161/01.hyp.0000250088.15021.c2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Augmented cardiovascular responses to acute stress can predict cardiovascular disease in humans. Chronic systemic increases in glucocorticoids produce enhanced cardiovascular responses to psychological stress; however, the site of action is unknown. Recent evidence indicates that glucocorticoids can act within the dorsal hindbrain to modulate cardiovascular function. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that the endogenous glucocorticoid corticosterone can act in the dorsal hindbrain to enhance cardiovascular responses to restraint stress in conscious rats. Adrenal-intact animals with indwelling arterial catheters were treated for 4 or 6 days with 3- to 4-mg pellets of corticosterone or silastic (sham pellets) implanted on the dorsal hindbrain surface. Corticosterone pellets were also implanted either on the surface of the dura or subcutaneously to control for the systemic effects of corticosterone (systemic corticosterone). The integrated increase in arterial pressure during 1 hour of restraint stress was significantly (P<0.05) greater in dorsal hindbrain corticosterone (912+/-98 mm Hg per 60 minutes) relative to dorsal hindbrain sham (589+/-57 mm Hg per 60 minutes) or systemic corticosterone (592+/-122 mm Hg per 60 minutes) rats. The plasma glucose response after 10 minutes of stress was also significantly higher in dorsal hindbrain corticosterone-treated rats relative to both other groups. There were no significant between-group differences in the heart rate or corticosterone responses to stress. There were no differences in baseline values for any measured parameters. We conclude that corticosterone can act selectively in the dorsal hindbrain in rats with normal plasma corticosterone levels to augment the arterial pressure response to restraint stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah A Scheuer
- School of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610-0274, USA.
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21
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Pecoraro N, Dallman MF, Warne JP, Ginsberg AB, Laugero KD, la Fleur SE, Houshyar H, Gomez F, Bhargava A, Akana SF. From Malthus to motive: how the HPA axis engineers the phenotype, yoking needs to wants. Prog Neurobiol 2006; 79:247-340. [PMID: 16982128 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2006.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2006] [Revised: 07/17/2006] [Accepted: 07/24/2006] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the critical mediator of the vertebrate stress response system, responding to environmental stressors by maintaining internal homeostasis and coupling the needs of the body to the wants of the mind. The HPA axis has numerous complex drivers and highly flexible operating characterisitics. Major drivers include two circadian drivers, two extra-hypothalamic networks controlling top-down (psychogenic) and bottom-up (systemic) threats, and two intra-hypothalamic networks coordinating behavioral, autonomic, and neuroendocrine outflows. These various networks jointly and flexibly control HPA axis output of periodic (oscillatory) functions and a range of adventitious systemic or psychological threats, including predictable daily cycles of energy flow, actual metabolic deficits over many time scales, predicted metabolic deficits, and the state-dependent management of post-prandial responses to feeding. Evidence is provided that reparation of metabolic derangement by either food or glucocorticoids results in a metabolic signal that inhibits HPA activity. In short, the HPA axis is intimately involved in managing and remodeling peripheral energy fluxes, which appear to provide an unidentified metabolic inhibitory feedback signal to the HPA axis via glucocorticoids. In a complementary and perhaps a less appreciated role, adrenocortical hormones also act on brain to provide not only feedback, but feedforward control over the HPA axis itself and its various drivers, as well as coordinating behavioral and autonomic outflows, and mounting central incentive and memorial networks that are adaptive in both appetitive and aversive motivational modes. By centrally remodeling the phenotype, the HPA axis provides ballistic and predictive control over motor outflows relevant to the type of stressor. Evidence is examined concerning the global hypothesis that the HPA axis comprehensively induces integrative phenotypic plasticity, thus remodeling the body and its governor, the brain, to yoke the needs of the body to the wants of the mind. Adverse side effects of this yoking under conditions of glucocorticoid excess are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norman Pecoraro
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0444, United States.
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22
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Franco-Colín M, Villanueva I, Piñón M, Racotta R. The effects of sympathectomy and dexamethasone in rats ingesting sucrose. Int J Biol Sci 2006; 2:17-22. [PMID: 16585949 PMCID: PMC1415852 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.2.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2006] [Accepted: 03/04/2006] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Both high-sucrose diet and dexamethasone (D) treatment increase plasma insulin and glucose levels and induce insulin resistance. We showed in a previous work (Franco-Colin, et al. Metabolism 2000; 49:1289-1294) that combining both protocols for 7 weeks induced less body weight gain in treated rats without affecting mean daily food intake. Since such an effect may be explained by an increase in caloric expenditure, possibly due to activation of the sympathetic nervous system by sucrose ingestion, in this work, and using 10% sucrose in the drinking water, male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups. Two groups were sympathectomized using guanethidine (Gu) treatment for 3 weeks. One of these groups of rats received D in the drinking water. Of the 2 groups not receiving Gu, one was the control (C) and the other received D. After 8 weeks a glucose tolerance test was done. The rats were sacrificed and liver triglyceride (TG), perifemoral muscle lipid, and norepinephrine (NE) levels in the liver spleen, pancreas, and heart were determined. Gu-treated rats (Gu and Gu+D groups) showed less than 10% NE concentration compared to C and D rats, less daily caloric intake and body-weight gain, more sucrose intake, and better glucose tolerance. The area under the curve after glucose administration correlated significantly with the mean body weight gain of the rats, except for D group. Groups D (D and Gu+D) also showed less caloric intake and body-weight gain but higher liver weight and TG concentration and lower peripheral muscle mass. The combination of Gu+D treatments showed some peculiar results: negative body weight gain, a fatty liver, and low muscle mass. Though the glucose tolerance test had the worst results for the D group, it showed the best results in the Gu+D group. There were significant interactions for Guan X Dex by two-way ANOVA test for the area under the curve in the glucose tolerance test, muscle mass, and muscle lipids. The results suggest that dexamethasone catabolic effect is not caused by sympathetic activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarita Franco-Colín
- Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), México Distrito Federal, Mexico
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23
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Gorio A, Madaschi L, Di Stefano B, Carelli S, Di Giulio AM, De Biasi S, Coleman T, Cerami A, Brines M. Methylprednisolone neutralizes the beneficial effects of erythropoietin in experimental spinal cord injury. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102:16379-84. [PMID: 16260722 PMCID: PMC1283477 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0508479102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Inflammation plays a major pathological role in spinal cord injury (SCI). Although antiinflammatory treatment using the glucocorticoid methyprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) improved outcomes in several multicenter clinical trials, additional clinical experience suggests that MPSS is only modestly beneficial in SCI and poses a risk for serious complications. Recent work has shown that erythropoietin (EPO) moderates CNS tissue injury, in part by reducing inflammation, limiting neuronal apoptosis, and restoring vascular autoregulation. We determined whether EPO and MPSS act synergistically in SCI. Using a rat model of contusive SCI, we compared the effects of EPO [500-5,000 units/kg of body weight (kg-bw)] with MPSS (30 mg/kg-bw) for proinflammatory cytokine production, histological damage, and motor function at 1 month after a compression injury. Although high-dose EPO and MPSS suppressed proinflammatory cytokines within the injured spinal cord, only EPO was associated with reduced microglial infiltration, attenuated scar formation, and sustained neurological improvement. Unexpectedly, coadministration of MPSS antagonized the protective effects of EPO, even though the EPO receptor was up-regulated normally after injury. These data illustrate that the suppression of proinflammatory cytokines alone does not necessarily prevent secondary injury and suggest that glucocorticoids should not be coadministered in clinical trials evaluating the use of EPO for treatment of SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Gorio
- Pharmacological Laboratories, Departments of Medicine, Surgery, and Dentistry, Polo Ospedale San Paolo, Faculty of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
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24
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Gao B, Kikuchi-Utsumi K, Ohinata H, Hashimoto M, Kuroshima A. Repeated immobilization stress increases uncoupling protein 1 expression and activity in Wistar rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 53:205-13. [PMID: 14529581 DOI: 10.2170/jjphysiol.53.205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Repeat immobilization-stressed rats are leaner and have improved cold tolerance due to enhancement of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. This process likely involves stress-induced sympathetic nervous system activation and adrenocortical hormone release, which dynamically enhances and suppresses uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) function, respectively. To investigate whether repeated immobilization influences UCP1 thermogenic properties, we assessed UCP1 mRNA, protein expression, and activity (GDP binding) in BAT from immobilization-naive or repeatedly immobilized rats (3 h daily for 4 weeks) and sham operated or adrenalectomized (ADX) rats. UCP1 properties were assessed before (basal) and after exposure to 3 h of acute immobilization. Basal levels of GDP binding and UCP1 expression was significantly increased (140 and 140%) in the repeated immobilized group. Acute immobilization increased GDP binding in both naive (180%) and repeated immobilized groups (220%) without changing UCP1 expression. In ADX rats, basal GDP binding and UCP1 gene expression significantly increased (140 and 110%), and acute immobilization induced further increase. These data demonstrate that repeated immobilization resulted in enhanced UCP1 function, suggesting that enhanced BAT thermogenesis contributes to lower body weight gain through excess energy loss and an improved ability to maintain body temperature during cold exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bihu Gao
- Department of Physiology 1, Asahikawa Medical University School of Medicine, Midorigaoka-higashi 2-1-1-1, Asahikawa, 078-8510 Japan
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25
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Harris RBS, Gu H, Mitchell TD, Endale L, Russo M, Ryan DH. Increased glucocorticoid response to a novel stress in rats that have been restrained. Physiol Behav 2004; 81:557-68. [PMID: 15178148 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2004.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2003] [Revised: 12/03/2003] [Accepted: 01/21/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Rats exposed to repeated restraint stress (3 h of restraint on each of 3 days) lose weight during stress and do not return to the weight of nonstressed controls once stress ends. Others have reported that chronic stress raises the daily nadir of corticosterone release and increases the adrenal response to subsequent stress; therefore, we examined glucocorticoid release in rats that had been exposed to repeated restraint. Repeated restraint had no effect on the diurnal pattern of corticosterone or insulin release, measured 12 days after restraint had ended, indicating that the reduced weight of the rats is not associated with an elevated corticosterone-insulin ratio. In contrast, rats that had been exposed to repeated restraint, 12 days previously, showed a blunted corticosterone release during a second restraint stress, a normal response to the novel physiological stress of 2-deoxy glucose (2-DG) injection, but an exaggerated corticosterone response to the novel mild stress (MS) of either placement in a unfamiliar environment or an intraperitoneal injection of saline. Mice exposed to repeated restraint showed a similar hyperresponsiveness to novel MS, suggesting that repeated restraint lowers the threshold for stress-induced activation of the adrenal gland. MS caused a small, but significant, degree of hypophagia in rats that had been exposed to repeated restraint stress. Therefore, multiple aspects of the stress response may be exaggerated in these animals and contribute to the chronic reduction in body weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth B S Harris
- Department of Foods and Nutrition, Dawson Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
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26
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Meltzer JC, MacNeil BJ, Sanders V, Pylypas S, Jansen AH, Greenberg AH, Nance DM. Contribution of the adrenal glands and splenic nerve to LPS-induced splenic cytokine production in the rat. Brain Behav Immun 2003; 17:482-97. [PMID: 14583240 DOI: 10.1016/s0889-1591(03)00084-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Both the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPAA) and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) can inhibit immune function and are regarded as the primary efferent pathways for neural-immune interactions. To determine if this relationship is maintained in vivo in response to an inflammatory stimulus, rats were injected intravenously (iv) with various doses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and splenic cytokine mRNA and protein levels were measured at several dose and time intervals post-injection. The spleen was chosen as the target organ because both the neural and hormonal inputs to the spleen can be selectively removed by splenic nerve cut (SNC) and adrenalectomy (ADX), respectively. Data from our dose response studies established that maximum levels of splenic cytokines were induced in response to relatively low doses of LPS. Minimal changes in LPS-induced splenic cytokine levels were observed in response to ADX, SNC, or a combination of the two procedures across several doses of LPS. These results suggest that there are aspects of immune regulation that are functionally removed from these central modulatory systems and that the counter-regulatory responses induced by LPS have minimal impact on the concurrent induction of cytokines by this inflammatory stimulus. The conceptual model of neural-immune regulation as an inhibitory feedback system, at least with regards to the early activational effects induced by an inflammatory stimulus, was not supported by these studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan C Meltzer
- National Research Council of Canada Institute for Biodiagnostics, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3B 1Y6
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27
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Vozarova de Courten B, de Courten M, Hanson RL, Zahorakova A, Egyenes HP, Tataranni PA, Bennett PH, Vozar J. Higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases in gypsies than in non-gypsies in Slovakia. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2003; 62:95-103. [PMID: 14581146 DOI: 10.1016/s0168-8227(03)00162-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Gypsies (or Roma) recently experienced a transition from a traditional to a Westernized lifestyle. Although mortality in this population is 4-fold higher compared with non-Gypsies, very limited information is available on their morbidity especially with regard to non-communicable diseases. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases in Gypsies and non-Gypsies living in the same region of southern Slovakia. MATERIALS AND METHODS We examined 156 Gypsies and 501 non-Gypsies who participated in a population survey. Age- and sex-standardized prevalence rates were computed for each of the following: T2DM, obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, hyperinsulinemia, elevated albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR), metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. RESULTS Age-sex standardized prevalence of T2DM was 30% (95% CI=22-39) in Gypsies and 10% (8-13, P=0.0001 for comparison of ethnic groups) in non-Gypsies. Corresponding prevalence of the other variables are: 65% (56-74) and 30% (26-34, P=0.0001) for obesity, 69% (61-76) and 59% (54-63, P=0.04) for hypercholesterolemia, 66% (59-74) and 39% (35-43, P=0.009) for hypertriglyceridemia, 49% (42-56) and 43% (39-47, P=0.1) for hypertension, 33% (26-50) and 8% (2-14, P=0.002) for hyperinsulinemia, 16% (9-22) and 5% (3-7, P=0.0001) for elevated ACR, 20% (12-27) and 4% (3-6, P=0.0001) for metabolic syndrome and 35% (28-43) and 26% (22-29, P=0.004) for cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS Compared with non-Gypsies, Gypsies had a much higher prevalence of T2DM, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, which may contribute to their higher mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Vozarova de Courten
- Clinical Diabetes and Nutrition Section, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 4212 N, 16th Street, Rm. 5-41, Phoenix, AZ 85016, USA.
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Vozarova B, Weyer C, Snitker S, Gautier JF, Cizza G, Chrousos G, Ravussin E, Tataranni PA. Effect of cortisol on muscle sympathetic nerve activity in Pima Indians and Caucasians. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2003; 88:3218-26. [PMID: 12843168 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2002-021818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) interact to maintain cardiovascular and metabolic homeostasis, especially during stress. Pima Indians have a low SNS activity, which may contribute to both their increased risk of obesity and reduced risk of hypertension. Although glucocorticoids inhibit SNS activity, Pima Indians are not hypercortisolemic compared with Caucasians. This does not exclude the possibility that the SNS is more responsive to an inhibitory effect of cortisol in the former than in the latter group. We measured fasting plasma ACTH and cortisol and muscle SNS activity [muscle sympathetic nervous system activity (MSNA), microneurography] in 58 males [27 Pimas/31 Caucasians]. Seven Pimas and 12 Caucasians were randomized to a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study to examine the effect of overnight partial chemical adrenalectomy (metyrapone) followed by cortisol replacement (hydrocortisone) on plasma ACTH, cortisol, and MSNA. There were no ethnic differences in fasting plasma ACTH or cortisol, but MSNA adjusted for percent body fat was lower in Pimas than in Caucasians (P < 0.006). No correlation was found between fasting cortisol and basal MSNA. Administration of metyrapone did not lead to significant changes in MSNA. In response to a hydrocortisone infusion, MSNA decreased in Pima Indians (P = 0.03) but not in Caucasians (P = 0.7). Our data indicate that the low SNS activity that predisposes Pima Indians to obesity is not due to a tonic inhibitory effect of cortisol. However, an acute release of cortisol is likely to more effectively contain sympathoexcitation during stress in Pima Indians than in Caucasians, which may be an important mechanism of cardioprotection in this Native American population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Vozarova
- Clinical Diabetes and Nutrition Section, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Human Services, Phoenix, Arizona 85016, USA.
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29
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Dallman MF, Akana SF, Laugero KD, Gomez F, Manalo S, Bell ME, Bhatnagar S. A spoonful of sugar: feedback signals of energy stores and corticosterone regulate responses to chronic stress. Physiol Behav 2003; 79:3-12. [PMID: 12818705 DOI: 10.1016/s0031-9384(03)00100-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
To begin to understand the effects of chronic stress on food intake and energy stores, the effects of increased activity in the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and glucocorticoids (GCs) on the body and brain must first be understood. We propose two major systems that are both GC sensitive: a metabolic feedback that is inhibitory and a direct central GC drive. Under basal conditions, the metabolic feedback signal to brain is dominant, although infusion of GC into a lateral brain ventricle blocks the effects of the metabolic feedback. Chronic stress activates GC secretion and brain nuclear GC receptor occupancy, markedly changing the normal relationships between these two major corticosteroid-activated systems. The stressor-induced switch in the relative strengths of these signals determines subsequent brain regulation of stress responses (behavioral, neuroendocrine and autonomic outflows). The metabolic feedback effects of GCs are mimicked by voluntary sucrose ingestion in adrenalectomized rats, and experiments suggest that the metabolic feedback also inhibits the stressor-induced direct GC drive on brain. We speculate that the interaction between peripheral and central GC-sensitive signaling systems may be coupled through the inhibitory actions of endogenous opiatergic inputs on corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary F Dallman
- Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco, Box 0444, San Francisco, CA 94143-0444, USA.
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30
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Laborie C, Van Camp G, Bernet F, Montel V, Dupouy JP. Metyrapone-induced glucocorticoid depletion modulates tyrosine hydroxylase and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase gene expression in the rat adrenal gland by a noncholinergic transsynaptic activation. J Neuroendocrinol 2003; 15:15-23. [PMID: 12535165 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2826.2003.00859.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone system and the sympathetic nervous system are anatomically and functionally interconnected and hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis contribute to the regulation of catecholaminergic systems. To investigate the role of glucocorticoids on activity of the adrenal gland, we analysed plasma and adrenal catecholamines, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) mRNA expression in rats injected with metyrapone or dexamethasone. Metyrapone-treated rats had significantly lower epinephrine and higher norepinephrine production than control rats. Metyrapone increased TH protein synthesis and TH mRNA expression whereas its administration did not affect PNMT mRNA expression. Dexamethasone restored plasma and adrenal epinephrine concentrations and increased PNMT mRNA levels, which is consistent with an absolute requirement of glucocorticoids for PNMT expression. Adrenal denervation completely abolished the metyrapone-induced TH mRNA expression. Blockage of cholinergic neurotransmission by nicotinic or muscarinic receptor antagonists did not prevent the metyrapone-induced rise in TH mRNA. Finally, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) adrenal content was not affected by metyrapone. These results provide evidence that metyrapone-induced corticosterone depletion elicits transsynaptic TH activation, implying noncholinergic neurotransmission. This may involve neuropeptides other than PACAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Laborie
- Neuroendocrinologie du Développement, UPRES-EA 2701, Université de Lille, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
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31
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Wang JD, Kuo TBJ, Yang CCH. An alternative method to enhance vagal activities and suppress sympathetic activities in humans. Auton Neurosci 2002; 100:90-5. [PMID: 12422965 DOI: 10.1016/s1566-0702(02)00150-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Vagal withdrawal and/or sympathetic overactivity is always accompanied by various kinds of stress and is dangerous to the body. We proposed that mild acupuncture on the Sishencong points may effectively enhance vagal activities but suppress sympathetic regulations of the heart in humans. Experiments were carried out on nine healthy male volunteers, while they were lying in a quiet room during 2-4 P.M. Acupuncture was applied 2 mm deep into the skin using standard stainless acupuncture needles at the Sishencong points, which are located on the vertex of the head, each 1 cm away from Baihui (GV 20) in four directions. Four points around the temporal area were selected as control points. Forty minutes of precordial ECG signals before, during, and after acupuncture were recorded continuously. Frequency-domain analysis of the stationary RR intervals was performed to evaluate the total variance, high-frequency power (HF, 0.15-0.40 Hz) and low-frequency power (LF, 0.04-0.15 Hz) in normalized units (LF%). Acupuncture on the Sishencong points resulted in an increased HF but a decreased LF% compared with the before acupuncture stage. Such effects did not occur when manual acupuncture was applied to the control points. The differences in the heart rate dynamics between Sishencong and the control groups took place 10 min after initiation of acupuncture and persisted even after the removal of the needles. Based on these results, we concluded that manual acupuncture on the Sishencong points enhanced cardiac vagal and suppressed sympathetic activities in humans. The underlying mechanisms and potential applications warrant further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- J D Wang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tzu-Chi General Hospital, Dalin, Taiwan
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32
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Mondal S, Rai U. Dose and time-related in vitro effects of glucocorticoid on phagocytosis and nitrite release by splenic macrophages of wall lizard Hemidactylus flaviviridis. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2002; 132:461-70. [PMID: 12223202 DOI: 10.1016/s1532-0456(02)00114-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GC) are usually considered to be immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory. However, recent studies in mammals have demonstrated the diverse effects of GC on non-specific host-defense mechanism, depending on dose or duration of treatment. Hence, in the present study in vitro dose and time-related effects of glucocorticoid, i.e. hydrocortisone (HC) on phagocytosis and nitrite production by LPS-induced splenic macrophages in wall lizard Hemidactylus flaviviridis has been investigated. Hydrocortisone suppressed percentage phagocytosis, phagocytic index and nitrite production by splenic macrophages even at the lowest concentration (10(-13) M) for a short-term exposure (4 h). Hydrocortisone-induced suppression enhanced with the increase of concentration or duration of exposure time. The suppressive effect of hydrocortisone on phagocytic and cytotoxic activities of splenic macrophages was further corroborated since the pre-exposure of macrophages to glucocorticoid-receptor blocker (RU 486) considerably reduced the hydrocortisone-induced suppression of phagocytosis and nitrite production. The present study suggests that GC instead of diverse effects, has dose- and time-dependent immunosuppressive effect on non-specific host-defense immune responses in wall lizard H. flaviviridis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soma Mondal
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007, India
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33
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Chan O, Chan S, Inouye K, Shum K, Matthews SG, Vranic M. Diabetes impairs hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) responses to hypoglycemia, and insulin treatment normalizes HPA but not epinephrine responses. Diabetes 2002; 51:1681-9. [PMID: 12031953 DOI: 10.2337/diabetes.51.6.1681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
We recently established that in addition to plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone, hypothalamic corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA and hippocampal type 1 glucocorticoid receptor (GR1) mRNA were also upregulated in uncontrolled streptozotocin-induced diabetes. In the current study, control, diabetic, and insulin-treated diabetic rats underwent a hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic glucose clamp to evaluate central mechanisms of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and counterregulatory responses to insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Increases in plasma ACTH, corticosterone, and epinephrine were significantly lower in diabetic rats versus controls. Insulin treatment restored ACTH and corticosterone but not epinephrine responses to hypoglycemia in diabetic rats. Glucagon and norepinephrine responses to hypoglycemia were not affected by diabetes or insulin treatment. In response to hypoglycemia, hypothalamic CRH mRNA and pituitary proopiomelanocortin mRNA expression increased in control and insulin-treated but not in untreated diabetic rats. Arginine vasopressin mRNA was unaltered by hypoglycemia in all groups. Interestingly, hypoglycemia decreased hippocampal GR1 mRNA expression in control and insulin-treated diabetic rats but not in diabetic rats. In contrast, type 2 glucocortoid receptor (GR2) mRNA was not altered by hypoglycemia. In conclusion, despite increased basal HPA activity, HPA responses to hypoglycemia were markedly reduced in uncontrolled diabetes. We speculate that the defect in CRH response could be related to the defective GR1 response. It is intriguing that insulin treatment restored the HPA response to hypoglycemia but, surprisingly, not the deficient epinephrine response. This is important because during severe hypoglycemia, epinephrine is an important counterregulatory hormone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Owen Chan
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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34
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Lesage J, Dufourny L, Laborie C, Bernet F, Blondeau B, Avril I, Bréant B, Dupouy JP. Perinatal malnutrition programs sympathoadrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsiveness to restraint stress in adult male rats. J Neuroendocrinol 2002; 14:135-43. [PMID: 11849373 DOI: 10.1046/j.0007-1331.2001.00753.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In humans, an altered control of cortisol secretion was reported in adult men born with a low birth weight making the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis a possible primary target of early life programming. In rats, we have recently shown that maternal food restriction during late pregnancy induces both an intrauterine growth retardation and an overexposure of fetuses to maternal corticosterone, which disturb the development of the HPA axis in offspring. The first aim of this work was to investigate, in adult male rats, whether perinatal malnutrition has long-lasting effects on the HPA axis activity during both basal and stressful conditions. Moreover, as the HPA axis and sympathetic nervous system are both activated by stress, the second aim of this work was to investigate, in these rats, the adrenomedullary catecholaminergic system under basal and stressful conditions. This study was conducted on 4-month-old male rats malnourished during their perinatal life and on age-matched control animals. Under basal conditions, perinatal malnutrition reduced body weight and plasma corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) level but increased mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) gene expression in CA1 hippocampal area. After 30 min of restraint, perinatally malnourished (PM) rats showed increased plasma noradrenaline, adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone concentrations similarly as controls, but calculated plasma-free corticosterone concentration was significantly higher and adrenaline level lower than controls. During the phase of recovery, PM rats showed a rapid return of plasma ACTH and corticosterone concentrations to baseline levels in comparison with controls. These data suggest that in PM rats, an elevation of basal concentrations of corticosterone, in face of reduced CBG and probably increased hippocampal MR lead to a much larger impact of corticosterone on target cells that mediate the negative-feedback mechanism on the activities of both the HPA axis and sympathoadrenal one.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Lesage
- Laboratoire de Neuroendocrinologie du Développement, UPRES-EA 2701, Université de Lille 1, 596555 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
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35
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Sanders NM, Ritter S. Acute 2DG-induced glucoprivation or dexamethasone abolishes 2DG-induced glucoregulatory responses to subsequent glucoprivation. Diabetes 2001; 50:2831-6. [PMID: 11723067 DOI: 10.2337/diabetes.50.12.2831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral, neuroendocrine, and autonomic responses to glucoprivation are impaired after a glucoprivic episode. A life-threatening manifestation of this effect, known as hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF), occurs in diabetic patients as a result of prior inadvertent hypoglycemia resulting from insulin therapy. Glucocorticoids, which are elevated by glucoprivation, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of HAAF. The goal of the present study was to examine the effect of glucocorticoids on glucoregulatory responses in a rat model of HAAF. 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG; 200 mg/kg) was used to induce glucoprivation. Rats were injected with saline, 2DG, or the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone (DEX; 250 microg/rat) in the morning. Then 6 h later, rats were injected with 2DG, and their feeding and hyperglycemic responses were measured. Both 2DG and DEX in the morning eliminated glucoprivic feeding and hyperglycemic responses in the afternoon test. Epinephrine (0.3 mg/kg) administration in the afternoon elicited marked hyperglycemia in animals given 2DG that morning, demonstrating that glycogen depletion from morning glucoprivation was not responsible for the absence of the hyperglycemic response in the afternoon test. The effects of prior saline or 2DG treatment on subsequent glucoprivic feeding were also examined in adrenalectomized rats in which the source of endogenous glucocorticoids was removed. In these animals, prior glucoprivation did not attenuate 2DG-induced feeding in the afternoon test. These findings demonstrate that a single glucoprivic episode is sufficient to cause impairment in glucoregulatory responses to a second glucoprivic episode in the same day. In addition, these results strongly implicate glucocorticoids in the pathogenesis of HAAF.
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Affiliation(s)
- N M Sanders
- Neurology Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, East Orange, New Jersey 07018, USA.
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36
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Della-Fera
- Department of Foods and Nutrition, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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37
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Laugero KD, Bell ME, Bhatnagar S, Soriano L, Dallman MF. Sucrose ingestion normalizes central expression of corticotropin-releasing-factor messenger ribonucleic acid and energy balance in adrenalectomized rats: a glucocorticoid-metabolic-brain axis? Endocrinology 2001; 142:2796-804. [PMID: 11415998 DOI: 10.1210/endo.142.7.8250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Both CRF and norepinephrine (NE) inhibit food intake and stimulate ACTH secretion and sympathetic outflow. CRF also increases anxiety; NE increases attention and cortical arousal. Adrenalectomy (ADX) changes CRF and NE activity in brain, increases ACTH secretion and sympathetic outflow and reduces food intake and weight gain; all of these effects are corrected by administration of adrenal steroids. Unexpectedly, we recently found that ADX rats drinking sucrose, but not saccharin, also have normal caloric intake, metabolism, and ACTH. Here, we show that ADX (but not sham-ADX) rats prefer to consume significantly more sucrose than saccharin. Voluntary ingestion of sucrose restores CRF and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase messenger RNA expression in brain, food intake, and caloric efficiency and fat deposition, circulating triglyceride, leptin, and insulin to normal. Our results suggest that the brains of ADX rats, cued by sucrose energy (but not by nonnutritive saccharin) maintain normal activity in systems that regulate neuroendocrine (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal), behavioral (feeding), and metabolic functions (fat deposition). We conclude that because sucrose ingestion, like glucocorticoid replacement, normalizes energetic and neuromodulatory effects of ADX, many of the actions of the steroids on the central nervous system under basal conditions may be indirect and mediated by signals that result from the metabolic effects of adrenal steroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- K D Laugero
- Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143-0444, USA
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38
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Galassetti P, Mann S, Tate D, Neill RA, Costa F, Wasserman DH, Davis SN. Effects of antecedent prolonged exercise on subsequent counterregulatory responses to hypoglycemia. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2001; 280:E908-17. [PMID: 11350772 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.2001.280.6.e908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In the present study the hypothesis tested was that prior exercise may blunt counterregulatory responses to subsequent hypoglycemia. Healthy subjects [15 females (f)/15 males (m), age 27 +/- 1 yr, body mass index 22 +/- 1 kg/m(2), hemoglobin A(Ic) 5.6 +/- 0.5%] were studied during 2-day experiments. Day 1 involved either 90-min morning and afternoon cycle exercise at 50% maximal O2 uptake (VO2(max)) (priorEXE, n = 16, 8 m/8 f) or equivalent rest periods (priorREST, n = 14, 7 m/7 f). Day 2 consisted of a 2-h hypoglycemic clamp in all subjects. Endogenous glucose production (EGP) was measured using [3-3H]glucose. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) was measured using microneurography. Day 2 insulin (87 +/- 6 microU/ml) and plasma glucose levels (54 +/- 2 mg/dl) were equivalent after priorEXE and priorREST. Significant blunting (P < 0.01) of day 2 norepinephrine (-30 +/- 4%), epinephrine (-37 +/- 6%), glucagon (-60 +/- 4%), growth hormone (-61 +/- 5%), pancreatic polypeptide (-47 +/- 4%), and MSNA (-90 +/- 8%) responses to hypoglycemia occurred after priorEXE vs. priorREST. EGP during day 2 hypoglycemia was also suppressed significantly (P < 0.01) after priorEXE compared with priorREST. In summary, two bouts of exercise (90 min at 50% VO2(max)) significantly reduced glucagon, catecholamines, growth hormone, pancreatic polypeptide, and EGP responses to subsequent hypoglycemia. We conclude that, in normal humans, antecedent prolonged moderate exercise blunts neuroendocrine and metabolic counterregulatory responses to subsequent hypoglycemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Galassetti
- Departments of Medicine and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Nashville Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-6303, USA.
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39
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Altemus M, Roca C, Galliven E, Romanos C, Deuster P. Increased vasopressin and adrenocorticotropin responses to stress in the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001; 86:2525-30. [PMID: 11397850 DOI: 10.1210/jcem.86.6.7596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicates that gonadal steroids modulate functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which has been closely linked to the pathophysiology of anxiety and depression. However, the effect of the natural menstrual cycle on HPA axis responsivity to stress has not been clearly described. In nine healthy women, metabolic and hormonal responses to treadmill exercise stress during the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, when gonadal steroid levels are low, were compared with responses in the midluteal phase of the cycle, when both progesterone and estrogen levels are relatively high. Exercise intensity was gradually increased over 20 min to reach 90% of each subject's maximal oxygen consumption during the final 5 min of exercise. Basal plasma lactate, glucose, ACTH, vasopressin, oxytocin, and cortisol levels were similar in the two cycle phases. However, in response to exercise stress, women in the midluteal phase had enhanced ACTH (P < 0.0001), vasopressin (P < 0.01), and glucose (P < 0.001) secretion. These findings suggest that relatively low levels of gonadal steroids during the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle provide protection from the impact of stress on the HPA axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Altemus
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, New York 10021, USA.
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40
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Scheuer DA, Mifflin SW. Glucocorticoids modulate baroreflex control of renal sympathetic nerve activity. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2001; 280:R1440-9. [PMID: 11294766 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.2001.280.5.r1440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Experiments were performed to determine the effects of glucocorticoids on arterial baroreceptor reflex control of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA). Intravenous infusions of phenylephrine and nitroprusside were used to produce graded changes in arterial pressure (AP) in Inactin-anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats. Baroreflex control of RSNA was determined during a baseline period and 2 and 3 h after administration of the glucocorticoid type II receptor antagonist Mifepristone (30 mg/kg sc) or vehicle (oil). Corticosterone (cort) treatment (100 mg cort pellet sc for 2-3 wk) increased baseline AP from 115 +/- 2 to 128 +/- 1 mmHg. Cort treatment also decreased the gain coefficient and increased the midpoint of the baroreflex curve. Treatment of cort rats with Mifepristone decreased AP within 2 h and increased the gain coefficient and decreased the midpoint of the baroreflex function curve back toward values measured in control rats. Mifepristone altered the baroreflex function curve even when AP was maintained at baseline levels. Therefore, these data demonstrate for the first time that glucocorticoids can modulate baroreflex control of RSNA by a mechanism that is, in part, independent of changes in AP.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Scheuer
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri 64108, USA.
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41
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Mercadante S, Portenoy RK. Opioid poorly-responsive cancer pain. Part 2: basic mechanisms that could shift dose response for analgesia. J Pain Symptom Manage 2001; 21:255-64. [PMID: 11239748 DOI: 10.1016/s0885-3924(00)00236-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Basic research in experimental pain models may illuminate the phenomenon of cancer pain that is poorly responsive to opioid drugs. Research findings can be valuable in formulating new strategies in clinical practice. This review evaluated experimental observations in terms of the events that occur in cancer patients receiving opioid therapy for pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Mercadante
- Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit & Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit, La Maddalena Cancer Center, Palermo, Italy
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42
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Moutsatsou P, Psarra AM, Tsiapara A, Paraskevakou H, Davaris P, Sekeris CE. Localization of the Glucocorticoid Receptor in Rat Brain Mitochondria. Arch Biochem Biophys 2001; 386:69-78. [PMID: 11361002 DOI: 10.1006/abbi.2000.2162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The distribution of glucocorticoid receptor in subcellular fractions of brain cortex and hippocampus, two regions rich in glucocorticoid receptor, has revealed its presence in nuclei, cytosol, mitochondria, synaptosomes, and synaptosomal mitochondria. The identification of glucocorticoid receptor has been accomplished both by Western blotting using antibodies recognizing the carboxy and the amino terminus of the glucocorticoid receptor and by immunogold electron microscopy using the same anti-glucocorticoid receptor antibodies. Antibody-glucocorticoid receptor interaction is abolished by preincubation of each antibody with its competing peptide. In addition to the intact 95-kDa glucocorticoid receptor in all fractions, lower molecular weight glucocorticoid receptor fragments have been also detected by Western blotting. The presence of glucocorticoid receptor in brain mitochondria supports the concept of a direct action of glucocorticoids on mitochondrial gene transcription, parallel to the established primary actions of the hormones on nuclear gene transcription, as a mechanism of coordinate regulation of respiratory enzyme biosynthesis by steroid hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Moutsatsou
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece.
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43
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Bell ME, Bhatnagar S, Liang J, Soriano L, Nagy TR, Dallman MF. Voluntary sucrose ingestion, like corticosterone replacement, prevents the metabolic deficits of adrenalectomy. J Neuroendocrinol 2000; 12:461-70. [PMID: 10792586 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2826.2000.00488.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We tested whether corticosterone replacement causes increased sucrose drinking in adrenalectomized (ADX) rats compared to sham-ADX (sham) rats. ADX rats given high doses of corticosterone drank as much sucrose as sham rats, whereas at three lower doses of corticosterone, drinking was similar between groups and was only approximately 40% of that ingested by shams. Compared to sham rats, ADX rats drinking saline, or saline and saccharin, gain weight more slowly, contain less white adipose tissue, and have higher sympathetic outflow as assessed by uncoupling protein content in brown adipose tissue. Allowing sucrose as well as saline to drink restored all of these variables to normal in ADX rats with no- or low-corticosterone. All endpoints from sucrose-drinking ADX rats with no-or low-corticosterone were indistinguishable from those in water-drinking shams. By contrast, sucrose-drinking ADX rats that were given high doses of corticosterone exhibited the usual catabolic effects of corticosterone on body weight gain and, unlike sucrose-drinking shams, were obese. We conclude that (i) high corticosterone stimulates the potability of sucrose and inhibits sympathetic stimulation of uncoupling protein; (ii) sucrose, without corticosterone, normalizes metabolic deficits in ADX rats probably through actions mediated both peripherally and by the central nervous system; and (iii) ADX rats have a distinct sucrose appetite.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Bell
- Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0444, USA
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44
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MacNeil BJ, Jansen AH, Greenberg AH, Nance DM. Effect of acute adrenalectomy on sympathetic responses to peripheral lipopolysaccharide or central PGE(2). Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2000; 278:R1321-8. [PMID: 10801303 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.2000.278.5.r1321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The impact of plasma corticosterone levels on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) response to intravenous lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or intracerebroventricular injections of PG was studied in anesthetized (urethan-chloralose) male Sprague-Dawley rats. For this, electrophysiological recordings of splenic and renal nerves were completed in control or adrenalectomized (ADX) rats. LPS (10 microgram iv) similarly increased splenic and renal nerve activity in control rats with a shorter onset latency for the splenic nerve. Acute ADX enhanced the response of both nerves to LPS (P < 0.005) and reduced the onset latency of the renal nerve (P < 0.05). PGE(2) (2 microgram icv) rapidly increased the activity of both nerves but preferentially (magnitude and onset latency) stimulated the renal nerve (P < 0.05). The magnitude of the splenic nerve response to PGE(2) was unaffected by ADX. Unexpectedly, PGE(2) was less effective at stimulating renal nerve activity in ADX animals relative to intact controls (P < 0.05). Pretreatment of ADX rats with a CRF antagonist ([D-Phe(12), Nle(21,38), Calpha-MeLeu(37)]CRF-(12-41)) reversed this effect such that the renal nerve responded to central PGE(2) to a greater extent than the splenic nerve (P < 0.05), as was the case in non-ADX rats. These data indicate that enhanced sensitivity of central sympathetic pathways does not account for the enhanced SNS responses to LPS in ADX rats. Also, a CRF-related process appears to diminish renal sympathetic outflow in ADX rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- B J MacNeil
- Department of Pathology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 0W3
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45
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Dodt C, Keyser B, Mölle M, Fehm HL, Elam M. Acute suppression of muscle sympathetic nerve activity by hydrocortisone in humans. Hypertension 2000; 35:758-63. [PMID: 10720591 DOI: 10.1161/01.hyp.35.3.758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we examined the acute influence of hydrocortisone on human sympathetic nerve activity and cardiovascular parameters. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSA), heart rate, and blood pressure were monitored in 8 healthy subjects (20 to 37 years old) before and after a bolus injection of 50 mg hydrocortisone followed by a continuous infusion at 50 mg/h during a period of 3 hours in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover protocol. Recordings were performed at rest and during repeated transient sympathoexcitation induced by voluntary apneas. Resting MSA and endogenous serum cortisol concentrations were also measured in a larger study group (49 experiments, 25 subjects). During the experimental period, MSA burst number increased by 56% from the control level in the placebo group. In contrast, MSA was suppressed by 25% at the end of the hydrocortisone infusion, resulting in a significant treatment effect (P<0.05). In addition, sympathoexcitation during apnea was significantly reduced with hydrocortisone after 180 minutes. In parallel with the sympathetic outflow, blood pressure decreased in the hydrocortisone-treated group, whereas it rose in the placebo group (P<0.05 between groups). No correlation was found between basal MSA and basal cortisol levels. Our results indicate that pharmacological doses of hydrocortisone acutely influence MSA responses to short- and long-lasting environmental stimuli, whereas basal native cortisol levels do not appear to be tonically involved in the regulation of resting MSA. The suppressive hydrocortisone effect is most likely induced via supraspinal autonomic centers and cannot be explained by peripheral steroid mechanisms. The effect of elevated corticosteroid levels on sympathetic nerve discharge may be an important mechanism in cardiovascular adaptations to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Dodt
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Lübeck, Germany.
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Sapolsky RM, Romero LM, Munck AU. How do glucocorticoids influence stress responses? Integrating permissive, suppressive, stimulatory, and preparative actions. Endocr Rev 2000; 21:55-89. [PMID: 10696570 DOI: 10.1210/edrv.21.1.0389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1596] [Impact Index Per Article: 66.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The secretion of glucocorticoids (GCs) is a classic endocrine response to stress. Despite that, it remains controversial as to what purpose GCs serve at such times. One view, stretching back to the time of Hans Selye, posits that GCs help mediate the ongoing or pending stress response, either via basal levels of GCs permitting other facets of the stress response to emerge efficaciously, and/or by stress levels of GCs actively stimulating the stress response. In contrast, a revisionist viewpoint posits that GCs suppress the stress response, preventing it from being pathologically overactivated. In this review, we consider recent findings regarding GC action and, based on them, generate criteria for determining whether a particular GC action permits, stimulates, or suppresses an ongoing stress-response or, as an additional category, is preparative for a subsequent stressor. We apply these GC actions to the realms of cardiovascular function, fluid volume and hemorrhage, immunity and inflammation, metabolism, neurobiology, and reproductive physiology. We find that GC actions fall into markedly different categories, depending on the physiological endpoint in question, with evidence for mediating effects in some cases, and suppressive or preparative in others. We then attempt to assimilate these heterogeneous GC actions into a physiological whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- R M Sapolsky
- Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, California 94305, USA
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Akana SF, Strack AM, Hanson ES, Horsley CJ, Milligan ED, Bhatnagar S, Dallman MF. Interactions among chronic cold, corticosterone and puberty on energy intake and deposition. Stress 1999; 3:131-46. [PMID: 10938575 DOI: 10.3109/10253899909001118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We have shown that chronic cold stress strongly interacts with corticosterone (B) to determine subsequent regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses to novel stress. These studies, using the same 2 sets of rats, show that chronic cold also interacts with B and testosterone on signals of energy balance. The two groups of rats differed in weight by 20% and in age by 2 weeks (44-59 days of age). Adrenalectomized rats, replaced with varying doses of B, were exposed to cold or served as controls. Food intake and body weight during the experiments and hormones, metabolites and fat depots were measured on day 5. B, but not cold, affected food intake in the younger rats; by contrast, cold, but not B, affected food intake in the older rats. Testosterone was higher in older control rats and was markedly depressed by cold; younger rats had lower testosterone that was minimally affected by cold. Weight gain decreased in all rats at room temperature with increasing B, whereas they all lost weight in cold independently of B. Cold stimulated and B inhibited interscapular brown adipose tissue DNA content (reflecting sympathetic stimulation of thermogenesis). B stimulated insulin, whereas cold inhibited leptin and insulin; B also increased white adipose tissue weight gain in controls and inhibited its loss in cold. Leptin was unrelated to white adipose tissue depots in older control rats but was strongly related to these stores in younger rats and in all rats in cold. We conclude that: 1. By decreasing signals that act centrally to inhibit food intake (insulin, leptin and testosterone) cold allows B to stimulate food intake; 2. B inhibits weight gain although it causes accrual of fat; 3. Cold, probably through sympathetic stimulation of white adipose tissue, causes fat loss which is modulated by the inhibitory effect of B on sympathetic outflow; and, 4. The slope of the relationship between fat depot size and leptin becomes flatter in cold, possibly because of increased sympathetic outflow to these depots.
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Affiliation(s)
- S F Akana
- Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0444, USA.
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Tataranni PA, Cizza G, Snitker S, Gucciardo F, Lotsikas A, Chrousos GP, Ravussin E. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system activities in Pima Indians and Caucasians. Metabolism 1999; 48:395-9. [PMID: 10094120 DOI: 10.1016/s0026-0495(99)90092-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
It has been proposed that both hypercortisolism and low sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity contribute to obesity. Because glucocorticoids inhibit SNS activity, we hypothesized that hypercortisolism and low SNS activity may be found in association in Pima Indians, a population with a high prevalence of obesity. We therefore measured indices of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and SNS activities in 39 nondiabetic men, 20 Pimas (age, 30+/-5 years; weight, 94+/-26 kg; 35%+/-8% body fat [mean +/- SD]) and 19 Caucasians (33+/-9 years, 91+/-23 kg, 28%+/-11% body fat). HPA axis activity was assessed by measurements of morning fasting plasma corticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol concentrations and 24-hour urinary free cortisol (UFC) excretion. SNS activity was assessed as muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) by microneurography and by measurement of catecholamines (fasting plasma concentration and 24-hour urinary excretion). Plasma ACTH and cortisol and UFC were similar in Pimas and Caucasians. MSNA was positively correlated with percent body fat (r = .49, P = .002) and was lower in Pimas compared with Caucasians after adjustment for percent body fat (24+/-9 v 31+/-10 bursts/min, P = .04). We conclude that Pima Indians, a population with a high prevalence of obesity, have lower SNS activity but normal HPA axis activity compared with Caucasians.
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Affiliation(s)
- P A Tataranni
- Clinical Diabetes and Nutrition Section, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Phoenix, AZ 85016, USA
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Yehuda R, McFarlane AC, Shalev AY. Predicting the development of posttraumatic stress disorder from the acute response to a traumatic event. Biol Psychiatry 1998; 44:1305-13. [PMID: 9861473 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3223(98)00276-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 295] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that is directly precipitated by an event that threatens a person's life or physical integrity and that invokes a response of fear, helplessness, or horror. In recent years it has become clear that only a proportion of those exposed to fear-producing events develop or sustain PTSD. Thus, it seems that an important challenge is to elucidate aberrations in the normal fear response that might precipitate trauma-related psychiatric disorder. This paper summarizes the findings from recent studies that examined the acute and longer term biological response to traumatic stress in people appearing to the emergency room immediately following trauma exposure. In the aggregate, these studies have demonstrated increased heart rate and lower cortisol levels at the time of the traumatic event in those who have PTSD at a follow-up time compared to those who do not. In contrast, certain features associated with PTSD, such as intrusive symptoms and exaggerated startle responses, are only manifest weeks after the trauma. The findings suggest that the development of PTSD may be facilitated by an atypical biological response in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, which in turn leads to a maladaptive psychological state.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Yehuda
- Psychiatry Department, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Bronx Veterans Affairs Hospital, New York, New York 10468, USA
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Yehuda R, Resnick HS, Schmeidler J, Yang RK, Pitman RK. Predictors of cortisol and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol responses in the acute aftermath of rape. Biol Psychiatry 1998; 43:855-9. [PMID: 9611677 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3223(97)00554-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prospective studies of trauma survivors can provide information about the relationship between rape characteristics and the development of subsequent symptoms. METHODS The present study examined the relationship of prior assault, rape severity, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following rape, and subsequent PTSD diagnosis, to the acute cortisol and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) response to this traumatic event in 20 women. RESULTS Women with a history of prior physical or sexual assault showed a significantly attenuated cortisol response to the acute stress of rape compared to women without such a history. MHPG appeared to be associated with injury-related rape characteristics, and symptoms of active avoidance, but not prior history. PTSD status at the 3-month follow-up was predicted by both a prior history of assault and high injury rape, but was not directly predicted by either cortisol or MHPG levels. MHPG and cortisol were not correlated in the sample as a whole, but were correlated among individuals who did not subsequently develop PTSD (p = .04) CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that different neuroendocrine systems may mediate different components of the response to traumatic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Yehuda
- Psychiatry Department, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Bronx VA Medical center, New York 10468, USA
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