Reproductive and Androgenic Disorders

2014 ◽  
pp. 476-481
Author(s):  
Maria A. Yialamas
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Adrenal Gland ◽  
Steroid Hormones ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Immune Functions ◽  
Zona Reticularis ◽  
Vascular Volume ◽  
Sexual Characteristics

The adrenal gland consists of the cortex and medulla. The adrenal cortex secretes three classes of steroid hormones: glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, and androgens. The outer zona glomerulosa secretes the mineralocorticoid aldosterone, which performs a key role in the maintenance of blood pressure, vascular volume, and potassium homeostasis. The central zona fasciculata produces cortisol, which is crucial in the stress response and controls intermediary metabolism and immune functions. The inner layer, the zona reticularis, produces androgens, which serve as precursors of testosterone and androstenedione; they play a role in the development of secondary sexual characteristics in females.

scholarly journals Biometry of Adrenal Glands of Mixed-Breed Dogs

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Oliveira Trivilin ◽  
Francisco De Assis Pessoa Júnior ◽  
Maria Aparecida Da Silva ◽  
Leandro André Milholli ◽  
Felipe Martins Pastor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adrenal Gland ◽  
Adrenal Cortex ◽  
Adrenal Glands ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Zona Reticularis ◽  
Mixed Breed ◽  
Mean Width ◽  
Length Width ◽  
The Right

Background: Differences of the size of the adrenal glands, in healthy dogs or in endocrinopathies, undermine correct diagnosis of endocrine disorders and evaluations of the adrenal cortex in relation to its size and possible correlation with endocrinopathies are rare. The aim of the present study was to perform measurements of the length, width, thickness and weight of the adrenal glands of young, adult and elderly mixed-breed dogs and correlate them with the age, sex and weight of animals. In addition, the areas occupied by the zona glomerulosa, zona fasciculata, and zona reticularis of the adrenal cortex were measured in order to establish a microscopic biometric pattern.Material, Methods & Results: The right and left adrenal glands of 12 young (six females and six males), 12 adults (six females and six males), and 12 elderly (six females and six males), all mongrels, derived from routine and necropsied in the Animal Pathology Sector of the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Espírito Santo (HOVET-UFES) were weighed and the length, width, and thickness were measured. For the microscopic measurement of the adrenal cortex, 10 randomly selected samples were submitted to routine histological processing and the microscope slides were observed under a light microscope at 5× and 10× objectives, photodocumented and measurements were obtained from a random portion of the adrenal cortex and the zones composing the cortex were measured in triplicate with the aid of the computerized image analysis software. The left adrenal showed a greater average length than the right adrenal in young, adult, and elderly dogs. The size of the glands in the young and adult dogs is not influenced by the sex of the animals, but in older dogs the females had a greater mean width than the males. The weight of the animals presented a positive correlation in relation to the length and weight of the right and left adrenal glands in all studied groups. The age did not influence the length and weight variables of the glands. However, some differences in thickness and width were observed in the elderly group compared to those in other groups. For the microscopic measurements in the right adrenal gland, the cortex was 1.53 mm, being 0.21 mm for the glomerular zone (14.6% of the total adrenal cortex), 1.04 mm for the zona fasciculata (66.9%), and 0.29 mm for the zona reticularis (18.5%). In the left adrenal gland, the cortex was 1.83 mm, being 0.23 mm for the glomerular zone (13.2% of the total adrenal cortex), 1.23 mm for the zona fasciculata (63.96%), and 0.37 for the zona reticularis (22.84%).Discussion: Studies on the size of the adrenal gland in dogs using macroscopic biometrics are scarce, and the current study presents results regarding mixed-breed (male and female) dogs of different ages, which presented variation in size and weight, which could also influence the size of the adrenal gland. Thus, it can be observed that a variation of measurements can be found, especially for dogs with no defined breed. These results demonstrate the importance of studies that perform the macroscopic analysis of such glands. It was concluded that there was a clear variation in the size of the adrenal glands in mixed-breed dogs of different ages and both sexes; the left adrenal showed greater lengths and weights than the right gland. The sex of the animals did not influence the size of the glands in young and adult dogs, but in elderly dogs, the females showed a greater mean width than the males. The right and left adrenal cortices are formed at a greater percentage by the zona fasciculata, followed by the zona reticularis and zona glomerulosa.

Expression and cellular localization of tissue kallikrein-kinin system in human adrenal gland

1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (3) ◽  
pp. F709-F716 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Z. Wang ◽  
Q. Song ◽  
L. M. Chen ◽  
L. Chao ◽  
J. Chao
Keyword(s):  
Adrenal Gland ◽  
Cellular Localization ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Tissue Kallikrein ◽  
Kinin System ◽  
B1 Receptor ◽  
B2 Receptors ◽  
Kallikrein Kinin System

The tissue kallikrein-kinin system has been implicated in regulating blood pressure and electrolyte homeostasis. To understand the function of this system, we identified the expression and cellular localization of its components including tissue kallikrein, kallistatin, kininogen, and bradykinin B1 and B2 receptors in human adrenal gland. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction followed by Southern blot analysis showed that these five components of this system were all expressed in human adrenal gland. In situ hybridization histochemistry with respective digoxigenin-labeled antisense riboprobes revealed localization of kallikrein transcript throughout the adrenal cortex and medulla except the zona glomerulosa, whereas kallistatin mRNA was only localized in the zona fasciculata. Low-molecular-weight kininogen and B2 receptor mRNAs were colocalized in the zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata and also in the zona reticularis and chromaffin cells but to a lesser degree. The B1 receptor mRNA was stained in the zona fasciculata and medulla. These results show the expression and differential colocalization of the components of the tissue kallikrein-kinin system and reveal the potential action sites of this system in the adrenal gland.

SOME ASPECTS OF ZONATION AND FUNCTION OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX

1954 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-NP ◽  
Author(s):  
I. CHESTER JONES ◽  
A. WRIGHT
Keyword(s):  
Outer Part ◽  
Outer Region ◽  
Pituitary Hormones ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Zona Reticularis ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Glomerulosa Cells ◽  
And Function

SUMMARY The adrenal of male and female rats with persistent diabetes insipidus showed a prominent zona fasciculata and zona reticularis. The zona glomerulosa was narrow or absent. The results from this and the preceding three papers are here reviewed together. It is concluded that control of salt-electrolyte metabolism cannot be ascribed to the zona glomerulosa. It is probable that the zona fasciculata is reponsible for most of the adrenocortical secretions. The zona glomerulosa is a vegetative back-water of cells, which is able to produce minimal amounts of adrenocortical secretions without stimulation by pituitary hormones, but is only of significance when the latter are absent. Rising amounts of circulating adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) can transform the zona glomerulosa into actively secreting cells of the zona fasciculata type. After cessation of such activity the zona glomerulosa re-forms, as the amount of ACTH will maintain only a certain volume of zona fasciculata (and zona reticularis) against the rigid limiting inner circumference formed by the medulla; some of the cells derived from the chief area of cell division in the outer part of the zona fasciculata do not mature to cells of the zona fasciculata type, but form zona glomerulosa cells. It is thought that cell migration occurs from the cells of the outer region of the zona fasciculata to the zona reticularis and that this is, normally, a slow process.

scholarly journals Endocrine and neurogenic regulation of the orphan nuclear receptors Nur77 and Nurr-1 in the adrenal glands.

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 3469-3483 ◽  
Author(s):  
I J Davis ◽  
L F Lau
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Adrenal Gland ◽  
Cell Line ◽  
Binding Affinity ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Orphan Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Dna Binding Affinity

nurr77 and nurr-1 are growth factor-inducible members of the steroid/thyroid hormone receptor gene superfamily. In order to gain insight into the potential roles of nur77 in the living organism, we used pharmacologic treatments to examine the expression of nur77 in the mouse adrenal gland. We found that nur77 and nurr-1 are induced in the adrenal gland upon treatment with pentylene tetrazole (Ptz; Metrazole). This induction is separable into distinct endocrine and neurogenic mechanisms. In situ hybridization analysis demonstrates that nur77 expression upon Ptz treatment in the adrenal cortex is localized primarily to the inner cortical region, the zona fasciculata-reticularis, with minimal induction in the zona glomerulosa. This induction is inhibitable by pretreatment with dexamethasone, indicating involvement of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the activation of adrenal cortical expression. When mice were injected with adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), nur77 expression in the adrenal gland spanned all cortical layers including the zona glomerulosa, but medullary expression was not induced. Ptz also induces expression of both nur77 and nurr-1 in the adrenal medulla. Medullary induction is likely to have a neurogenic origin, as nur77 expression was not inhibitable by dexamethasone pretreatment and induction was seen after treatment with the cholinergic neurotransmitter nicotine. nur77 is also inducible by ACTH, forskolin, and the second messenger analog dibutyryl cyclic AMP in the ACTH-responsive adrenal cortical cell line Y-1. Significantly, Nur77 isolated from ACTH-stimulated Y-1 cells bound to its response element whereas Nur77 present in unstimulated cells did not. Moreover, Nur77 in ACTH-treated Y-1 cells was hypophosphorylated at serine 354 compared with that in untreated cells. These results, taken together with the previous observation that dephosphorylation of serine 354 affects DNA binding affinity in vitro, show for the first time that phosphorylation of Nur77 at serine 354 is under hormonal regulation, modulating its DNA binding affinity. Thus, ACTH regulates Nur77 in two ways: activation of its gene and posttranslational modification. A promoter analysis of nur77 induction in Y-1 cells indicates that the regulatory elements mediating ACTH induction differ from those required for induction in the adrenal medullary tumor cell line PC12 and in 3T3 fibroblasts.

THE HISTOGENESIS OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX IN THE FOETAL SHEEP

1979 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Robinson ◽  
Elisabeth J. Rowe ◽  
E. Marelyn Wintour
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Steroid Hormones ◽  
Adrenal Glands ◽  
Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cortical Cell ◽  
Outer Zone ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Zona Fasciculata

ABSTRACT The cortex of sheep foetal adrenal glands from 25 days gestation until newborn (term equals 147 ± 3 days) were examined by light and electron microscopy. Three stages of development are of particular importance in relating structure to function: 1) from 35 to 60 days, 2) from 60 to 120 days and 3) from 120 days to term. Between 35 and 60 days one cortical cell type predominated. It contained mitochondria with lamellar and vesicular cristae, scattered long strands of granular endoplasmic reticulum and only small amounts of smooth endoplasmic reticulum. After about 60 days two zones were apparent in the cortex and chromaffin cells became concentrated in the medulla. After 80 days the outer zone contained cells which resembled mature zona glomerulosa cells and the cells in the inner zone remained like those seen between 35 and 60 days, except they contained even less smooth endoplasmic reticulum. However, after about 90 days a small number of deep inner zone cells contained mitochondria with vesicular cristae which thus resemble mitochondria in the mature zona fasciculata. From about 120 days there was an increase in the number of cells in the inner zone that contained mitochondria with vesicular cristae. These cells also contained substantial quantities of smooth endoplasmic reticulum. At term most inner zone cells have this mature appearance. Thus there is no "foetal cortex" in the sheep analogous to that found in human adrenal development, i. e. there is no prominent zone of cells containing large amounts of smooth endoplasmic reticulum which is present throughout most of the foetal period of development, and which regresses at birth. The structure of the cells present between 35 and 60 days was unexpected because it has been shown previously that sheep foetal adrenals of this age are capable of producing relatively large quantities of steroid hormones. However, the appearance of cells resembling mature zona glomerulosa cells at about 80 days correlates with the previously demonstrated ability of sheep adrenal glands of this age to produce relatively large quantities of aldosterone. The rapid development of numbers of mature cells in the last 3 weeks of gestation correlates with the previously described ability of near term sheep foetal adrenals to produce very large quantities of steroid hormones.

Distinct regional localization of neurocalcin, a Ca2+-binding protein, in the bovine adrenal gland

1993 ◽  
Vol 138 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-NP ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Nakano ◽  
M. Terasawa ◽  
M. Watanabe ◽  
K. Okazaki ◽  
S. Inoue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adrenal Gland ◽  
Dissociation Constant ◽  
Adrenal Medulla ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Sds Page

ABSTRACT Neurocalcin (molecular weight 23 000 and 24 000) is a Ca2+-binding protein with three putative Ca2+-binding domains and is present in large amounts in nervous tissues. Neurocalcin isoproteins separated by C18 reverse-phase column chromatography are insoluble in buffer solution and it is impossible to determine the dissociation constant of neurocalcin with Ca2+. To overcome this difficulty, recombinant neurocalcin was synthesized, based on one of the cDNAs of the neurocalcin isoproteins. Stoichiometric titration experiments, using recombinant neurocalcin, indicated that this protein bound 2 mol Ca2+/mol protein and that the apparent dissociation constant for Ca2+ was 2·2 μmol/l, suggesting that neurocalcin plays a physiological role in cellular function. Immunoblotting showed that neurocalcin is present in the bovine adrenal gland in addition to the nervous tissues. Neurocalcin, identified by immunoblotting, was purified from the bovine adrenal gland. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of neurocalcin from the bovine brain showed 23 kDa and 24 kDa double bands, while SDS-PAGE of neurocalcin from the adrenal gland showed a single band of apparently 24 kDa, suggesting that the expression of neurocalcin isoproteins differs from tissue to tissue. The content of neurocalcin in the adrenal gland was 10 μg protein/100 g wet tissue. Immunohistochemical analysis showed the occurrence of neurocalcin in zona glomerulosa and adrenal medulla but not in zona fasciculata or zona reticularis. The restricted localization of neurocalcin in the adrenal gland suggests that a similar Ca2+ signal pathway may be present in zona glomerulosa and the adrenal medulla. Journal of Endocrinology (1993) 138, 283–290

scholarly journals The effects of potassium, 5-hydroxytryptamine, adrenocorticotrophin and angiotensin II on the concentration of adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate in suspensions of dispersed rat adrenal zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata cells

1974 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 391-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet D. M. Albano ◽  
Barry L. Brown ◽  
Roger P. Ekins ◽  
Sylvia A. S. Tait ◽  
James F. Tait
Keyword(s):  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Bovine Serum Albumin ◽  
Cyclic Amp ◽  
Adrenal Gland ◽  
Incubation Medium ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Adrenal Cells ◽  
Cyclic Amp Accumulation ◽  
K Concentration

Dispersed rat adrenal cells prepared from both the capsule and the decapsulated gland were used to investigate the effects on cyclic AMP accumulation of known stimuli of steroidogenesis [ACTH (adrenocorticotrophin), angiotensin II, K+ions and 5-hydroxytryptamine]. Since glomerulosa-cell preparations from capsular strippings are normally contaminated with a proportion of fasciculata cells, cells purified by fractionation on a bovine serum albumin gradient were also used. The results showed that: (1) ACTH and angiotensin II stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation in both fractionated and unfractionated zona fasciculata cells; (2) 5-hydroxytryptamine and an increased extracellular K+concentration (from 3.6 to 8.4mm) had no effect on cyclic AMP concentrations in fasciculata cell preparations; (3) the addition of ACTH, angiotensin II, 5-hydroxytryptamine or K+to the incubation medium resulted in increased cyclic AMP concentrations in unpurified zona glomerulosa cell preparations; (4) fractionation and hence the virtual elimination of fasciculata contamination, did not affect the response to 5-hydroxytryptamine and increased K+concentration. However, the responses to ACTH and angiotensin II were markedly lowered but not abolished. These results strongly suggest a link between cyclic AMP production and steroidogenesis in the zone of the adrenal gland that specifically secretes aldosterone. All four agents used stimulated both steroid output and cyclic AMP accumulation. However, at certain doses of 5-hydroxytryptamine, K+and angiotensin II the significant increases in corticosterone output were not accompanied by measurable increases in cyclic AMP accumulation.

SEASONAL RHYTHM IN THE MORPHOLOGY OF THE SUPRARENAL CORTEX IN WOMEN OF CHILD-BEARING AGE

1958 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 456-NP ◽  
Author(s):  
I. L. MACKINNON ◽  
P. C. B. MACKINNON
Keyword(s):  
Water Retention ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Nuclear Density ◽  
Seasonal Differences ◽  
Zona Reticularis ◽  
Seasonal Rhythm ◽  
Child Bearing ◽  
Suprarenal Glands ◽  
Time Of Year

SUMMARY 1. Suprarenal glands from forty-four women of child-bearing age who died by misadventure were divided into 'summer' and 'winter' groups, the summer group consisting of twenty-one from women who died in April\p=m-\September and the winter group of twenty-three from women who died in October\p=m-\March. 2. The widths and the nuclear densities of four cortical zones, the glomerulosa, the outer fasciculata, the inner fasciculata and the reticularis, were measured in each gland, and the data obtained for both summer and winter groups compared. 3. In the zona glomerulosa nuclear population was increased in summer, due to a significant increase in nuclear density. There was no significant change in the width of this zone. 4. In the outer zona fasciculata and in the zona reticularis there were no significant seasonal differences in width or in nuclear density. 5. In the inner zona fasciculata the nuclear population was considerably increased in summer, due to significant increases in both width and nuclear density. 6. The lipoid content appeared to be similar in summer and winter in each of the four zones. 7. It was suggested that the increase in nuclear population in the zona glomerulosa in summer might indicate an increase in output of sodium-retaining hormones which could account for the increase in water retention at that time of year, and that the increase in nuclear population in the inner zona fasciculata in summer was a manifestation of separate functioning of this region.

STIMULATION OF ADRENAL 5-ENE,3β-HYDROXYSTEROID DEHYDROGENASE BY CORTICOTROPHIN IN VITRO

1978 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. LOVERIDGE ◽  
W. R. ROBERTSON
Keyword(s):  
Adrenal Gland ◽  
Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase ◽  
Cellular Biology ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Zona Reticularis ◽  
Cytochemical Bioassay ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Kennedy Institute ◽  
Stimulation Of

Division of Cellular Biology, The Mathilda and Terence Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Bute Gardens, London, W6 7DW (Received 24 April 1978) It is well established (Chayen, Daly, Loveridge & Bitensky, 1976) that segments of guineapig adrenal gland can be maintained in vitro and will respond to low concentrations (0·005– 5·0 pg/ml) of corticotrophin (ACTH). The response measured in the cytochemical bioassay of ACTH is the loss of ascorbate from the zona reticularis (Chayen, Loveridge & Daly, 1972), which is directly related to secretion of cortisol by these segments (Chayen, Bitensky, Chambers, Loveridge & Daly, 1974). However, because both major zones of the adrenal cortex are involved in steroidogenesis (see, e.g., Symington, 1969; Hyatt, Bell, Gould, Tait & Tait, 1976), the lack of a response in the zona fasciculata seems to be anomalous. To test whether the cells of the zona fasciculata in guinea-pig adrenal segments can respond to low concentrations

scholarly journals Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and the Adrenal Gland: From Toxicity to Endocrine Disruption

Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 243
Author(s):  
Ekaterina P. Timokhina ◽  
Valentin V. Yaglov ◽  
Svetlana V. Nazimova
Keyword(s):  
Endocrine Disruptors ◽  
Adrenal Glands ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
The Body ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Toxic Exposure ◽  
Zona Reticularis ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Low Levels

Endocrine disruptors are exogenous compounds that pollute the environment and have effects similar to hormones when inside the body. One of the most widespread endocrine disruptors in the wild is the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). Toxic doses of DDT are known to cause cell atrophy and degeneration in the adrenal zona fasciculata and zona reticularis. Daily exposure in a developing organism to supposedly non-toxic doses of DDT have been found to impair the morphogenesis of both the cortex and the medulla of the adrenal glands, as well as disturbing the secretion of hormones in cortical and chromaffin cells. Comparison of high and very low levels of DDT exposure revealed drastic differences in the morphological and functional changes in the adrenal cortex. Moreover, the three adrenocortical zones have different levels of sensitivity to the disruptive actions of DDT. The zona glomerulosa and zona reticularis demonstrate sensitivity to both high and very low levels of DDT in prenatal and postnatal periods. In contrast, the zona fasciculata is less damaged by low (supposedly non-toxic) exposure to DDT and its metabolites but is affected by toxic levels of exposure; thus, DDT exerts both toxic and disruptive effects on the adrenal glands, and sensitivity to these two types of action varies in adrenocortical zones. Disruptive low-dose exposure leads to more severe affection of the adrenal function.

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