The role of serotonergic neurons in intravenous hypertonic saline-induced secretion of vasopressin, oxytocin, and ACTH

Sensitization of restraint-induced corticosterone secretion after chronic restraint in rats: involvement of 5-HT₇ receptors

Serotonin (5-HT) modulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to stress. We examined the effect of chronic restraint stress (CRS; 20 min/day) as compared to control (CTRL) conditions for 14 days, on: 1) restraint-induced ACTH and corticosterone (CORT) secretion in rats pretreated with vehicle or SB-656104 (a 5-HT₇ receptor antagonist); 2) 5-HT₇ receptor-like immunoreactivity (5-HT₇-LI) and protein in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and adrenal glands (AG); 3) baseline levels of 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA), and 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio in PVN and AG; and 4) 5-HT-like immunoreactivity (5-HT-LI) in AG and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) protein in PVN and AG. On day 15, animals were subdivided into Treatment and No treatment groups. Treatment animals received an i.p. injection of vehicle or SB-656104; No Treatment animals received no injection. Sixty min later, Treatment animals were either decapitated with no further stress (0 min) or submitted to acute restraint (10, 30, 60 or 120 min); hormone serum levels were measured. No Treatment animals were employed for the rest of measurements. CRS decreased body weight gain and increased adrenal weight. In CTRL animals, acute restraint increased ACTH and CORT secretion in a time of restraint-dependent manner; both responses were inhibited by SB-656104. Exposure to CRS abolished ACTH but magnified CORT responses to restraint as compared to CTRL conditions; SB-656104 had no effect on ACTH levels but significantly inhibited sensitized CORT responses. In CTRL animals, 5-HT₇-LI was detected in magnocellular and parvocellular subdivisions of PVN and sparsely in adrenal cortex. Exposure to CRS decreased 5-HT₇-LI and protein in the PVN, but increased 5-HT₇-LI in the adrenal cortex and protein in whole AG. Higher 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels were detected in PVN and AG from CRS animals but 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio increased in AG only. Finally, whereas 5-HT-LI was sparsely observed in the adrenal cortex of CTRL animals, it strongly increased in the adrenal cortex of CRS animals. No TPH protein was detected in AG from both animal groups. Results suggest that CRS promotes endocrine disruption involving decreased ACTH and sensitized CORT responses to acute restraint. This phenomenon may be associated with increased function and expression of 5-HT₇ receptors as well as 5-HT turnover in AG.

Increase in plasma ACTH induced by urethane is not a consequence of hyperosmolality

Although anesthetic doses of urethane increase plasma levels of ACTH, the exact mechanism through which this occurs is unclear. We theorized that these increases might be a consequence of an increased systemic osmolality owing to the large doses of urethane usually employed. To evaluate this possibility, we measured plasma osmolality and ACTH in a total of six rats after graded infusions of urethane (N=3 rats) or equimolar amounts of mannitol (N=3 rats). Rats received infusions at 15 min intervals up to a cumulative dose equivalent to an anesthetic dose for urethane (1.4 g/kg). Blood samples (0.35 ml) were withdrawn at baseline and 10 min after each infusion. Urethane and mannitol produced significant and equivalent increases in plasma osmolality. However, only urethane evoked increases in plasma ACTH which were maximal (252+/-55 pg/ml from a baseline of 27+/-7 pg/ml) after a cumulative dose of 1 g/kg. Thus, increases in plasma ACTH seen after anesthetic doses of urethane are unlikely to be a consequence of its effect on plasma osmolality.

Fluoxetine-induced changes in body weight and 5-HT1Areceptor-mediated hormone secretion in rats on a tryptophan-deficient diet

Tryptophan depleting protocols are commonly used to study the role of serotonin in mood disorders. The present study examined the impact of a tryptophan-deficient diet and fluoxetine on the serotonergic regulation of neuroendocrine function and body weight. We hypothesized that the regulation of postsynaptic 5-HT1Areceptors is dependent on the levels of 5-HT in the synapse. Rats on a control or a tryptophan-deficient diet received daily injections of saline or fluoxetine (5 or 10 mg·kg-1·day-1ip) from day 7 to day 21. The tryptophan-deficient diet produced a 41% reduction in the level of 5-HT but no change in the density of [3H]paroxetine-labeled 5-HT transporters. Treatment with fluoxetine inhibited the gain in weight in rats maintained on the control diet. The tryptophan-deficient diet produced a significant loss in body weight that was not significantly altered by treatment with fluoxetine. Treatment with fluoxetine produced a dose-dependent desensitization of hormone responses to injection of the 5-HT1Areceptor agonist (±)8-hydroxy-2-(di- n-propylamino)tetralin ((±)8-OH-DPAT). The tryptophan-deficient diet produced an increase in the basal levels of corticosterone but did not alter the basal levels of ACTH or oxytocin. Also, this diet inhibited the magnitude of 8-OH-DPAT-induced increase in plasma levels of ACTH and oxytocin but did not impair the ability of fluoxetine to desensitize the 5-HT1Areceptor-mediated increase in plasma hormones. These data suggest that a reserve of 5-HT enables fluoxetine to desensitize postsynaptic 5-HT1Areceptors in the hypothalamus. In conclusion, the profound physiological changes induced by tryptophan depletion may complicate the interpretation of studies using this experimental approach.

Multiple receptor subtypes mediate the effects of serotonin on rat subfornical organ neurons

The subfornical organ (SFO) receives significant serotonergic innervation. However, few reports have examined the functional effects of serotonin on SFO neurons. This study characterized the effects of serotonin on spontaneously firing SFO neurons in the rat brain slice. Of 31 neurons tested, 80% responded to serotonin (1-100 microM) with either an increase (n = 15) or decrease (n = 10) in spontaneous activity. Responses to serotonin were dose dependent and persisted after synaptic blockade. Excitatory responses could also be mimicked by the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)2A/2C receptor agonist 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI; 1-10 microM) and could be blocked by the 5-HT2A/2C-receptor antagonist LY-53,857 (10 microM). LY-53,857 unmasked inhibitory responses to serotonin in 56% of serotonin-excited cells tested. Serotonin-inhibited cells were also inhibited by the 5-HT1A-receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT; 1-10 microM; n = 7). The data indicate that SFO neurons are responsive to serotonin via postsynaptic activation of multiple receptor subtypes. The results suggest that excitatory responses to serotonin are mediated by 5-HT2A or 5-HT2C receptors and that inhibitory responses may be mediated by 5-HT1A receptors. In addition, similar percentages of serotonin-excited and -inhibited cells were also sensitive to ANG II. As such the functional relationship between serotonin and ANG II in the SFO remains unclear.

Neuroendocrine and cardiovascular effects of serotonin: selective role of brain angiotensin on vasopressin

Central serotonin (5-HT) and angiotensin (ANG II) stimulate arginine vasopressin (AVP), oxytocin (OT), and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion and increase blood pressure. Studies were conducted in conscious rats to determine whether neuroendocrine activation by 5-HT requires a brain angiotensinergic intermediate pathway. In the first study, ANG II formation was inhibited by the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril before injection of the 5-HT releaser/uptake inhibitor d-fenfluramine. Fenfluramine (2 mg/kg ip) stimulated AVP, OT, corticosterone, and prolactin (PRL) secretion (P<0.01). Enalapril (60 mg/l in drinking water for 4 days and 10 mg/kg ip 2 h before the rats were killed) inhibited only the AVP response (P<0.01) to d-fenfluramine. In the second study, the effect of intracerebroventricular injection of the 5-HT2A/2C antagonist LY-53857 (10 microgram), or the ANG II AT1 antagonist DuP-753 (10 microgram), on intracerebroventricular 5-HT (10 microgram)-stimulated AVP, OT, ACTH, PRL, renin secretion, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) was tested. LY-53857 inhibited the AVP, OT, and ACTH responses to 5-HT (P<0.01), whereas DuP-753 inhibited only the AVP response (P<0.01). Intraventricular injection of 5-HT increased MAP and decreased HR. The MAP response was not affected by LY-53857 or DuP-753, and at no time did MAP decline below starting levels. The decreased HR was inhibited by LY-53857 but not by DuP-753. These results demonstrate that 5-HT-induced AVP secretion is mediated selectively via brain angiotensinergic mechanisms by way of the AT1 receptor.

Origin of projections from the midbrain raphe nuclei to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus in the rat: a combined retrograde and anterograde tracing study

A number of neuronal functions governed by the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus are influenced by serotonin, and it is generally believed that the moderate density of serotonin-immunoreactive fibres and terminals within the paraventricular nucleus originates from the midbrain dorsal and median raphe nuclei. To further evaluate the intricate anatomy of projections from brain stem raphe nuclei of the rat, a combination of retrograde and anterograde tracing experiments were conducted to determine the medullary raphe nuclei projection to the paraventricular nucleus. Rhodamine-labelled latex microspheres, Cholera toxin subunit B and FluoroGold we used as retrograde tracers. Intracerebroventricular injections into the third ventricle of all retrograde tracers labelled a distinct population of neurons in the dorsal raphe situated in the subependymal stratum adjacent to the cerebral aqueduct indicating that these cells take up the tracer from the cerebrospinal fluid. Very few retrogradely labelled neurons were seen in the median raphe after i.c.v. administration of the tracers. Retrograde tracers delivered into the medial part of the paraventricular nucleus labelled no further cells in the midbrain dorsal and median raphe nuclei, whereas a substantial number of retrogradely labelled cells emerged in the pontine raphe magnus. However, when the retrograde tracers were delivered into the lateral part of the paraventricular nucleus, avoiding leakage of the tracer into the ventricle, very few labelled neurons were seen in the dorsal and median raphe, whereas the prominent labelling of raphe magnus neurons persisted. The anatomical organization of nerve fibres terminating in the area of the paraventricular nucleus originating from midbrain raphe nuclei was studied in a series of anterograde tracing experiments using the plant lectin Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin. Injections delivered into the dorsal raphe or median raphe labelled but a few fibres in the paraventricular nucleus proper. A high number of fine calibered nerve fibres overlying the ependyma adjacent to the paraventricular nucleus was, however, seen after the injections into the subependymal rostral part of the dorsal raphe. Injections delivered into the raphe magnus gave rise to a dense plexus of terminating fibres in the parvicellular parts of the paraventricular nucleus and moderately innervated the posterior magnocellular part of the paraventricular nucleus as well as the magnocellular supraoptic nucleus. Concomitant visualization of serotonin-immunoreactive neurons and retrograde FluoroGold-tracing from the paraventricular nucleus revealed that none of the serotonergic neurons of the raphe magnus projects to this nucleus, while a few of the neurons putatively projecting to the paraventricular nucleus from the median raphe are serotonergic. The current observations suggest that the raphe magnus constitute by far the largest raphe input to the paraventricular nucleus and strongly questions the earlier held view that most raphe fibres innervating the paraventricular nucleus are derived from the midbrain dorsal and median raphe. However, the source of serotonergic innervation of the paraventricular nucleus remains elusive.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide and gastrin-releasing peptide play distinct roles in the suprachiasmatic nucleus

Vasoactive intestinal peptide and gastrin-releasing peptide levels were measured in the punched-out suprachiasmatic nucleus tissue from rats kept under a prolonged dim light (in vivo). Vasoactive intestinal peptide content increased from 4 to 8 h, returned to the baseline level at 12 to 16 h, and then increased again until 36 h after the light was switched off (dim light). Gastrin-releasing peptide level, in contrast, showed no significant changes, but a slight decrease from 1 to 4 h was detected under the dim light. In suprachiasmatic nucleus explant-slice culture, in vitro, Arg-vasopressin release increased transiently or showed a decrease at 30 min after exposure to vasoactive intestinal peptide or gastrin-releasing peptide, respectively. Treatment with anti-vasoactive intestinal peptide and anti-gastrin-releasing peptide antibodies reversed these effects. These findings suggest reciprocal roles of vasoactive intestinal peptide and gastrin-releasing peptide in Arg-vasopressin release.