COMPARISON BETWEEN SEASONAL AND THERMAL ACCLIMATION IN WHITE RATS: III. STUDIES OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX

1959 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 1255-1261 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Héroux ◽  
E. Schönbaum
Keyword(s):  
Adrenal Glands ◽  
Cold Resistance ◽  
Adrenal Weight ◽  
Similar Degree ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Steroid Production ◽  
White Rats ◽  
Number Of Cells ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor

The rate of production of corticosteroids in vitro as well as the histological picture of the adrenal glands was studied in white rats exposed to cold for 3 months, either indoors at 6 °C in individual cages or outdoors during the winter in groups of 10.Under the indoor cold conditions, the adrenals hypertrophied within 1 week and their weight then remained constant for the following 11 weeks. The hypertrophy was due to an increase in the number of cells in the zona fasciculata. Relative to adrenal weight, the production of corticosteroids in vitro was less in the 6 °C rats than in the 30 °C controls. Under the outdoor cold conditions, the adrenal weight as well as the number of fasciculata cells remained normal, but the steroid production "in vitro" was greater than in the "summer controls". Since both "indoor" and "outdoor" cold-exposed rats have been shown previously to develop a similar degree of cold resistance as well as a similar capacity for elevating their metabolism through a non-shivering heat production mechanism, it appears that similar degrees of adaptation to cold can exist with different requirements of adrenocortical hormones.

COMPARISON BETWEEN SEASONAL AND THERMAL ACCLIMATION IN WHITE RATS: III. STUDIES OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX

1959 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1255-1261 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Héroux ◽  
E. Schönbaum
Keyword(s):  
Adrenal Glands ◽  
Cold Resistance ◽  
Adrenal Weight ◽  
Similar Degree ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Steroid Production ◽  
White Rats ◽  
Number Of Cells ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor

The rate of production of corticosteroids in vitro as well as the histological picture of the adrenal glands was studied in white rats exposed to cold for 3 months, either indoors at 6 °C in individual cages or outdoors during the winter in groups of 10.Under the indoor cold conditions, the adrenals hypertrophied within 1 week and their weight then remained constant for the following 11 weeks. The hypertrophy was due to an increase in the number of cells in the zona fasciculata. Relative to adrenal weight, the production of corticosteroids in vitro was less in the 6 °C rats than in the 30 °C controls. Under the outdoor cold conditions, the adrenal weight as well as the number of fasciculata cells remained normal, but the steroid production "in vitro" was greater than in the "summer controls". Since both "indoor" and "outdoor" cold-exposed rats have been shown previously to develop a similar degree of cold resistance as well as a similar capacity for elevating their metabolism through a non-shivering heat production mechanism, it appears that similar degrees of adaptation to cold can exist with different requirements of adrenocortical hormones.

Correlation Between Telomere Attrition of Zona Fasciculata and Adrenal Weight Reduction in Older Men

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. e200-e210
Author(s):  
K Nonaka ◽  
Junko Aida ◽  
Kaiyo Takubo ◽  
Yuto Yamazaki ◽  
Xin Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Weight Reduction ◽  
Adrenal Glands ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Adrenal Weight ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Changes

Abstract Context Although numerous theories are reported on sex differences in longevity, the underlying biological mechanisms remain unknown. We previously reported that telomere length in the zona reticularis cells of the human adrenal cortex was significantly longer in older than that in younger subjects. However, we could not evaluate sex differences in the telomere lengths. Objective To compare the telomere lengths of adrenocortical and adrenal medullar cells between men and women from infancy through older adulthood. Methods Adrenal glands of 30 male (aged 0 to 100 years) and 25 female (aged 0 to 104 years) autopsied subjects were retrieved from autopsy files. Using quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization, relative telomere lengths were determined in the parenchymal cells of the 3 adrenocortical zones and medulla. Age-related changes in the weight of adrenal glands were also investigated. Main results Older male subjects (aged 65 years or older) had significantly shorter telomere lengths in zona fasciculata (ZF) cells compared to the corresponding female subjects. In men, older subjects exhibited a significant age-related reduction in adrenal weight; however, no age-related changes in adrenal weight were detected in women. Conclusion Telomere attrition of ZF cells was correlated with adrenal weight reduction in older men but not in older women, suggesting a decreased number of ZF cells in older men. This may help us understand the possible biological mechanisms of sex difference in longevity of humans.

A COMPARISON OF FREE ADRENAL CORTICAL STEROIDS IN THE BLOOD OF A HIBERNATING AND NON-HIBERNATING MAMMAL

1960 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 1479-1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arliss Denyes ◽  
Robert H. Horwood
Keyword(s):  
Adrenal Glands ◽  
Slow Component ◽  
Cortical Activity ◽  
Fast Component ◽  
Intermediary Metabolism ◽  
Adrenal Weight ◽  
Reliable Index ◽  
Ion Balance ◽  
White Rats ◽  
Alarm Reaction

White rats and hamsters were fasted and exposed to cold (6 ± 1 °C) for various periods of time. The adrenal glands were weighed and adrenal cortical steroids were extracted from the blood for separation by paper chromatography.The adrenal weight was not a reliable index of adrenal cortical activity as measured by the quantities of circulating hormones. Two steroid fractions were separated from rat and hamster blood. The fast component was identified as corticosterone and the slow component as an amorphous fraction.The adrenal cortical response to cold is different in rats and hamsters. The hamster does not have the typical alarm reaction and only trace quantities of hormones are found in the hibernating animal. Within 6 hours of arousal the concentrations of circulating adrenal cortical hormones have increased to or beyond those of the control animals. The changes in circulating adrenal cortical hormones of hamsters exposed to cold for varying periods of time can be correlated with changes in their intermediary metabolism and ion balance.

A COMPARISON OF FREE ADRENAL CORTICAL STEROIDS IN THE BLOOD OF A HIBERNATING AND NON-HIBERNATING MAMMAL

1960 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 1479-1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arliss Denyes ◽  
Robert H. Horwood
Keyword(s):  
Adrenal Glands ◽  
Slow Component ◽  
Cortical Activity ◽  
Fast Component ◽  
Intermediary Metabolism ◽  
Adrenal Weight ◽  
Reliable Index ◽  
Ion Balance ◽  
White Rats ◽  
Alarm Reaction

White rats and hamsters were fasted and exposed to cold (6 ± 1 °C) for various periods of time. The adrenal glands were weighed and adrenal cortical steroids were extracted from the blood for separation by paper chromatography.The adrenal weight was not a reliable index of adrenal cortical activity as measured by the quantities of circulating hormones. Two steroid fractions were separated from rat and hamster blood. The fast component was identified as corticosterone and the slow component as an amorphous fraction.The adrenal cortical response to cold is different in rats and hamsters. The hamster does not have the typical alarm reaction and only trace quantities of hormones are found in the hibernating animal. Within 6 hours of arousal the concentrations of circulating adrenal cortical hormones have increased to or beyond those of the control animals. The changes in circulating adrenal cortical hormones of hamsters exposed to cold for varying periods of time can be correlated with changes in their intermediary metabolism and ion balance.

EFFECT OF POTASSIUM INTAKE ON THE FINAL STEPS OF ALDOSTERONE BIOSYNTHESIS IN THE RAT

1972 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 718-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Baumann ◽  
Jürg Müller
Keyword(s):  
Incubation Medium ◽  
Adrenal Glands ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Selective Inhibitor ◽  
Potassium Deficiency ◽  
The Other ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Hydroxylase Activity ◽  
Potassium Intake

ABSTRACT Incubated capsular adrenal glands (»zona glomerulosa«) of potassiumdeficient rats converted 57% less tritiated deoxycorticosterone to 11β-hydroxycorticosteroids and 45 % less tritiated cortexolone to cortisol than the capsular adrenals of potassium-replete rats. A similarly decreased conversion of cortexolone to cortisol was observed when capsular adrenal mitochondria were incubated. Potassium deficiency resulted in only a slight decrease in the rate of 11β-hydroxylation by decapsulated adrenals (»zona fasciculata-reticularis«). These findings indicate that the 11β-hydroxylase activity of the zona glomerulosa of the rat adrenal cortex is dependent on the potassium intake but to a lesser extent than 18-hydroxylase activity. We had previously observed that potassium deficiency induced a decreased production of aldosterone, an unchanged corticosterone output and an increased deoxycorticosterone output by capsular adrenals incubated with stimulating agents. The same alterations in endogenous corticosteroid production could be induced in vitro by the addition of a selective inhibitor of 18-hydroxylation (Su 8000) to the incubation medium. On the other hand, metopirone, i.e. an inhibitor of both 11β- and 18-hydroxylation, diminished corticosterone as well as aldosterone output by capsular adrenals. These results suggest that an increased deoxycorticosterone output by capsular adrenals may be due not only to a decrease in 11β-hydroxylase activity but may also be indirectly related to a decreased conversion of corticosterone to 18-hydroxycorticosterone and aldosterone.

Steroidogenesis in human aldosterone-secreting adenomas and adrenal hyperplasias: effects of hypoxia in vitro

2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (1) ◽  
pp. E199-E203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hershel Raff ◽  
Eric D. Bruder
Keyword(s):  
Normal Tissue ◽  
Adrenal Glands ◽  
Adrenal Steroids ◽  
Physiological Changes ◽  
Adrenal Hyperplasia ◽  
Steroid Production ◽  
Bilateral Adrenal Hyperplasia ◽  
Mild Hypoxia ◽  
In Cells

The synthesis of adrenal steroids requires molecular oxygen. Because arterial hypoxemia is a common clinical condition, the purpose of the present study was to examine steroidogenesis in vitro under physiological changes in O2 tension (Po2) in cells from human adrenal glands with aldosterone-secreting adenomas (ASA; n = 3) or with bilateral adrenal hyperplasia causing Cushing's syndrome ( n = 4). A decrease in Po2 from 150 mmHg (mild hyperoxia) to 80 mmHg had minimal effect on steroid production. A reduction to 40 mmHg (still well within the physiological range) significantly inhibited cAMP- and ACTH-stimulated aldosterone, cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) production from ASA. Furthermore, cortisol and DHEA production in cells from histologically normal tissue, adjacent to ASA and from bilateral adrenal hyperplasias, was also inhibited under a Po2 of 40 mmHg. We conclude that physiological decreases in Po2 to levels typical for adrenal venous Po2 under mild hypoxia inhibit steroidogenesis. These studies may have implications for oxygen therapy in critically ill patients with functional adrenal insufficiency, as well as for therapeutic options in patients with adrenal neoplasms.

Inhibition of corticosteroid production by sodium pentobarbitone in rat adrenocortical preparations

1993 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. Whitehouse ◽  
S. J. Purdy ◽  
D. R. E. Abayasekara
Keyword(s):  
Intact Animal ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Steroid Production ◽  
Adrenal Cells ◽  
Glomerulosa Cells ◽  
Pituitary Adrenal Axis ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa Cells ◽  
Stimulation Of

ABSTRACT It is possible that some of the effects of sodium pentobarbitone on the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in the intact animal may be attributable to direct actions on the adrenal cortex. The effects of the barbiturate on steroid production by rat adrenal preparations in vitro have therefore been examined. In zona glomerulosa cells, pentobarbitone inhibited basal steroid production in a dose-related fashion. For aldosterone and corticosterone, the doses required for 50% inhibition of production (IC50) were 1·2 mmol pentobarbitone/l and 3·7 mmol/l respectively. Steroidogenesis was inhibited at lower levels of pentobarbitone in the presence of 1 nmol ACTH/l (IC50 = 0·5 mmol pentobarbitone/l for aldosterone and 2·2 mmol/l for corticosterone). In zona fasciculata/reticularis cells, production of corticosterone was similarly reduced with an IC50 of 2·8 mmol pentobarbitone/l for basal production and 1·3 mmol/l for ACTH-stimulated production. The dose-related increases in corticosterone production produced by ACTH (0·1–1000 pmol/l) or dibutyryl cyclic AMP (0·1–1·0 mmol/l) were also eliminated in the presence of 2 mmol pentobarbitone/l. The effects of pentobarbitone (1–4 mmol/l) on the production of pregnenolone and deoxycorticosterone (DOC) were also studied. In zona fasciculata/reticularis cells, the responses of both pregnenolone and DOC were bell-shaped with increases at 1 mmol pentobarbitone/l, which fell back to control levels at 4 mmol pentobarbitone/l. Stimulation of DOC, accompanied by decreases in aldosterone and corticosterone production, was also seen in zona glomerulosa cells at 1 mmol pentobarbitone/l. The effect of 1 mmol pentobarbitone/l on the conversion of 22(R)-hydroxycholesterol (5-cholestene-3β,22(R)-diol), pregnenolone, progesterone and DOC to corticosterone and aldosterone by zona glomerulosa preparations was studied. There was a comparable reduction in the conversion of these precursors (2 μmol/l) to aldosterone with yields decreased to 20–30% of those found in the absence of pentobarbitone. The dose required for 50% reduction of the conversion of progesterone (2 μmol/l) to aldosterone was 0·55 mmol pentobarbitone/l and for corticosterone the dose was 1·75 mmol pentobarbitone/l. The results obtained show that pentobarbitone is an effective inhibitor of corticosteroid biosynthesis in rat adrenal cells, and suggest that its effects are brought about by inhibition of cytochrome P450-mediated hydroxylations. Journal of Endocrinology (1993) 136, 75–83

COMPARISON BETWEEN SEASONAL AND THERMAL ACCLIMATION IN WHITE RATS: V. METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO NORADRENALINE

1961 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 1829-1836 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Héroux
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Intramuscular Injection ◽  
Cold Resistance ◽  
Cardiovascular Response ◽  
Great Sensitivity ◽  
Slight Degree ◽  
White Rats ◽  
Winter Conditions ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor

White rats cold-acclimated at a constant temperature in the laboratory are known to be more sensitive to noradrenaline than warm-acclimated controls. The present study reveals that this responsiveness to noradrenaline is linearly related to the temperature at which the animals are conditioned. Concomitant measurements (after intramuscular injection of noradrenaline) of oxygen consumption, blood pressure, and heart rates on white rats acclimatized to outdoor summer or winter conditions revealed a much greater metabolic and cardiovascular sensitivity to noradrenaline in winter than in summer rats. The slight degree of shivering upon exposure to 6 °C which was observed in the outdoor winter rats, as well as their great sensitivity to noradrenaline, suggests that under both indoor and outdoor environmental conditions, increased cold resistance is obtained through similar metabolic mechanisms.

scholarly journals Guinea pig adrenocortical cells: in vitro characterization of separated zonal cell types.

1982 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Miao ◽  
V H Black
Keyword(s):  
Guinea Pig ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Equilibrium Density ◽  
Zona Fasciculata ◽  
Adrenocortical Cells ◽  
Steroid Production ◽  
Glomerulosa Cells ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa Cells

This paper reports a quick, relatively simple and reproducible technique for obtaining populations of zona fasciculata and zona glomerulosa cells up to 80-90% pure, which can be maintained in vitro for study of adrenocortical cell function. Isolated guinea pig adrenocortical cells were separated on a 1-28% bovine serum albumin/Ca++, Mg++-free buffer gradient (wt/vol at 4% increments) using equilibrium density centrifugation (570 g, 30 min). Over 60% of the 8 x 10(5) viable cells/adrenal obtained in the total isolate were recovered after separation. 80% of the zona glomerulosa cells were found in the lower three bands of the gradient. 78% of the zona fasciculata cells were found in the top three bands. Of the cells in the first two bands, 78-91% were zona fasciculata cells, whereas of the cells in the bottom two bands 92-95% were zona glomerulosa cells. The cells retained the morphological characteristics of cells in situ and could be maintained in vitro for periods up to 11 d. They produced a wide variety of steroids, cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone, 11-beta-hydroxyandrostenedione, deoxycortisol, deoxycorticosterone, cortisone, 18-hydroxycorticosterone, and a product tentatively identified as dehydroepiandrosterone, and they responded to ACTH in a dose-responsive manner with enhanced levels of steroid output. Zona glomerulosa-enriched populations differed from zona fasciculata-enriched populations in their abundant production of aldosterone and in the pattern of steroid production. None of the cultures responded to angiotensin II (100 pg/ml) with increased steroid production.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document