Permissive role of α-tocopherol in the stimulation of aldosterone by sodium depletion in the guinea pig

1996 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
pp. 758-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Möbius ◽  
A Redmann ◽  
HH Hiller ◽  
W Oelkers ◽  
V Bähr

Möbius K, Redmann A, Hiller HH, Oelkers W, Bähr V. Permissive role of α-tocopherol in the stimulation of aldosterone by sodium depletion in the guinea pig. Eur J Endocrinol 1996;134:758–63. ISSN 0804–4643 To investigate the role of vitamin E in aldosterone synthesis, in vivo and in vitro studies were done in α-tocopherol-depleted guinea pigs. Seventy-one days of low vitamin E intake (< 5 mg/kg feed) reduced the concentration of α-tocopherol in serum, liver and adrenals to low levels with no signs of hypovitaminosis. Aldosterone secretion was stimulated by 15 days on a low sodium diet (200 mg/kg feed) in controls and vitamin E-depleted animals. Sodium depletion in controls stimulated plasma aldosterone by 335%. Vitamin E depletion reduced the stimulation of plasma aldosterone to only 112% (p < 0.05). In vitro aldosterone secretion by adrenal cells from sodium-depleted animals was 252% higher than secretion by cells from controls. This enhancement of in vitro aldosterone secretion following in vivo sodium depletion was abolished completely by combined in vivo vitamin E and sodium depletion (p < 0.05). No significant differences between groups were found for plasma renin activity, adrenocorticotrophin and serum potassium, suggesting that intra-adrenal mechanisms like damage by enhanced lipid peroxidation in α-tocopherol-depleted animals rather than changes in humoral aldosterone-regulating factors are the cause of the attenuated aldosterone response to sodium depletion. Volker Bähr, Abteilung Endokrinologie, Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universität Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, D-12000 Berlin, Germany

1995 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Redmann ◽  
K Möbius ◽  
HH Hiller ◽  
W Oelkers ◽  
V Bähr

Redmann A, Möbius K, Hiller HH, Oelkers W, Bähr V. Ascorbate depletion prevents aldosterone stimulation by sodium deficiency in the guinea pig. Eur J Endocrinol 1995;133:499–506. ISSN 0804–4643 The concentration of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in the adrenal cortex is higher than in any other organ. The role of vitamin C in the adrenal cortex is unknown, but data obtained with bovine adrenocortical cells in vitro favour its role as an antioxidant that especially protects aldosterone synthesis from damaging lipid peroxides. Alternatively, vitamin C could act as part of an auxiliary electron transport system for the last step of aldosterone synthesis. The effects of vitamin C depletion on adrenocortical function cannot be studied in the human for ethical reasons, so we subjected different groups of guinea pigs to vitamin C depletion, sodium depletion and combined vitamin C and sodium depletion. Other groups of animals on normal or vitamin C-deficient diets received high-dose adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) injections for 3 days before sacrifice. Fifteen days of a vitamin C-free diet led to very low vitamin C levels in adrenals, liver and plasma without clear signs of scurvy. At this time, plasma aldosterone and aldosterone secretion by isolated adrenal cells were stimulated significantly by sodium deficiency. Simultaneous vitamin C depletion completely abolished the rise in aldosterone in vivo and in vitro, significantly reduced the conversion of [3H]deoxycorticosterone to [3H]aldosterone and impaired renal sodium conservation. Plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma ACTH and serum potassium were not different in the sodium-depleted and sodium plus vitamin C-depleted groups. Sodium depletion did not affect cortisol. Vitamin C depletion led to a significant increase in plasma cortisol without an increase in ACTH, while in vitro secretion of cortisol was slightly decreased. These findings seem to be due to decreased hepatic cortisol metabolism. Three days of ACTH treatment led to a large increase in plasma cortisol and in vitro cortisol secretion, while plasma aldosterone and in vitro aldosterone secretion (and PRA) were greatly suppressed. This effect of ACTH was not changed by vitamin C depletion. In conclusion, our studies have demonstrated for the first time a permissive role of vitamin C in the adaptation of aldosterone secretion and of sodium excretion to sodium deficiency, which is an important physiological function of aldosterone. The molecular mechanisms by which vitamin C is involved in aldosterone synthesis await further studies. V Bähr, Freie Universität Berlin, Klinikum Benjamin Franklin, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Hindenburgdamm 30, D-12200 Berlin, Germany


1989 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 1547-1552 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Munakata ◽  
I. Huang ◽  
W. Mitzner ◽  
H. Menkes

We developed an in vitro system to assess the role of the epithelium in regulating airway tone using the intact guinea pig trachea (J. Appl. Physiol. 64: 466–471, 1988). This method allows us to study the response of the airway when its inner epithelial surface or its outer serosal surface is stimulated independently. Using this system we evaluated how the presence of intact epithelium can affect pharmacological responsiveness. We first examined responses of tracheae with intact epithelium to histamine, acetylcholine, and hypertonic KCl when stimulated from the epithelial or serosal side. We then examined the effect of epithelial denudation on the responses to these agonists. With an intact epithelium, stimulation of the inner epithelial side always caused significantly smaller changes in diameter than stimulation of the outer serosal side. After mechanical denudation of the epithelium, these differences were almost completely abolished. In the absence of intact epithelium, the trachea was 35-fold more sensitive to histamine and 115-fold more sensitive to acetylcholine when these agents were applied to the inner epithelial side. In addition, the presence of an intact epithelium almost completely inhibited any response to epithelial side challenge with hypertonic KCl. These results indicate that the airway epithelial layer has a potent protective role in airway responses to luminal side stimuli, leading us to speculate that changes in airway reactivity measured in various conditions including asthma may result in part from changes in epithelial function.


1991 ◽  
Vol 261 (4) ◽  
pp. E487-E494 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Menachery ◽  
L. M. Braley ◽  
I. Kifor ◽  
R. Gleason ◽  
G. H. Williams

In rats, plasma renin activity (PRA) increases sharply, reaching a plateau within hours of sodium restriction. Plasma aldosterone increases gradually, not reaching a plateau for 1-2 days. To determine whether this dissociation is secondary to the time needed to modify adrenal sensitivity to angiotensin II (ANG II) and to assess the role of locally produced ANG II in this process, rats were salt restricted for 0-120 h. Plasma hormone levels were assessed, adrenal ANG II was measured, and basal and ANG II (1 x 10(-8) M)-stimulated steroidogenesis were determined in vitro. Although PRA attained an elevated plateau within 8 h, plasma aldosterone did not peak until after 48 h of sodium depletion. The in vitro aldosterone sensitivity to exogenous ANG II was not apparent until rats had been salt restricted for 16 h. A plateau (4-fold increase above the ANG II response on high salt) was achieved between 24 and 48 h. Adrenal ANG II also exhibited a similar delayed response that correlates significantly with changes in aldosterone biosynthesis and late pathway activity. Thus the dissociation between PRA and plasma aldosterone may be secondary to a lag in the zona glomerulosa's (ZG) steroidogenic response to ANG II as well as a parallel lag in tissue ANG II production, suggesting that changes in tissue ANG II may mediate ZG sensitivity to ANG II during sodium deprivation.


1979 ◽  
Vol 237 (5) ◽  
pp. C200-C204 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Stewart ◽  
J. Sax ◽  
R. Funk ◽  
A. K. Sen

Stimulation of salt galnd secretion in domestic ducks in vivo increased the cyclic GMP concentration of the tissue, but had no effect on cyclic AMP levels. Methacholine, which is known to stimulate sodium transport by the glands both in vivo and in vitro, stimulated ouabain-sensitive respiration in salt gland slices. Cyclic GMP stimulated ouabain-sensitive respiration to the same extent as methacholine. Guanylate cyclase stimulators, hydroxylamine and sodium azide, also stimulated ouabain-sensitive respiration. The stimulation of ouabain-sensitive respiration by methacholine was blocked either by atropine or by removal of calcium from the incubation medium. The stimulation of ouabain-sensitive respiration by cyclic GMP still occurred in the absence of calcium. The above observations seem to indicate that cyclic GMP acts as a tertiary link in the process of stimulus-secretion coupling in the tissue.


2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (4) ◽  
pp. L924-L935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna A. Birukova ◽  
Panfeng Fu ◽  
Santipongse Chatchavalvanich ◽  
Dylan Burdette ◽  
Olga Oskolkova ◽  
...  

We have previously described protective effects of oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (OxPAPC) on pulmonary endothelial cell (EC) barrier function and demonstrated the critical role of cyclopentenone-containing modifications of arachidonoyl moiety in OxPAPC protective effects. In this study we used oxidized phosphocholine (OxPAPC), phosphoserine (OxPAPS), and glycerophosphate (OxPAPA) to investigate the role of polar head groups in EC barrier-protective responses to oxidized phospholipids (OxPLs). OxPAPC and OxPAPS induced sustained barrier enhancement in pulmonary EC, whereas OxPAPA caused a transient protective response as judged by measurements of transendothelial electrical resistance (TER). Non-OxPLs showed no effects on TER levels. All three OxPLs caused enhancement of peripheral EC actin cytoskeleton. OxPAPC and OxPAPS completely abolished LPS-induced EC hyperpermeability in vitro, whereas OxPAPA showed only a partial protective effect. In vivo, intravenous injection of OxPAPS or OxPAPC (1.5 mg/kg) markedly attenuated increases in the protein content, cell counts, and myeloperoxidase activities detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid upon intratracheal LPS instillation in mice, although OxPAPC showed less potency. All three OxPLs partially attenuated EC barrier dysfunction induced by IL-6 and thrombin. Their protective effects against thrombin-induced EC barrier dysfunction were linked to the attenuation of the thrombin-induced Rho pathway of EC hyperpermeability and stimulation of Rac-mediated mechanisms of EC barrier recovery. These results demonstrate for the first time the essential role of polar OxPL groups in blunting the LPS-induced EC dysfunction in vitro and in vivo and suggest the mechanism of agonist-induced hyperpermeability attenuation by OxPLs via reduction of Rho and stimulation of Rac signaling.


2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 2742-2749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viacheslav Malikov ◽  
Anna Kashina ◽  
Vladimir Rodionov

Numerous evidence demonstrates that dynein is crucial for organization of microtubules (MTs) into radial arrays, but its exact function in this process is unclear. Here, we studied the role of cytoplasmic dynein in MT radial array formation in the absence of the centrosome. We found that dynein is a potent MT nucleator in vitro and that stimulation of dynein activity in cytoplasmic fragments of melanophores induces nucleation-dependent formation of MT radial array in the absence of the centrosome. This new property of dynein, in combination with its known role as an MT motor that is essential for MT array organization in the absence and presence of the centrosome, makes it a unique molecule whose activity is necessary and sufficient for the formation and maintenance of MT radial arrays in cells.


2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (9) ◽  
pp. G759-G768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanyin Meng ◽  
Sharon DeMorrow ◽  
Julie Venter ◽  
Gabriel Frampton ◽  
Yuyan Han ◽  
...  

Substance P (SP) promotes cholangiocyte growth during cholestasis by activating its receptor, NK1R. SP is a proteolytic product of tachykinin (Tac1) and is deactivated by membrane metalloendopeptidase (MME). This study aimed to evaluate the functional role of SP in the regulation of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) growth. NK1R, Tac1, and MME expression and SP secretion were assessed in human CCA cells and nonmalignant cholangiocytes. The proliferative effects of SP (in the absence/presence of the NK1R inhibitor, L-733,060) and of L-733,060 were evaluated. In vivo, the effect of L-733,060 treatment or MME overexpression on tumor growth was evaluated by using a xenograft model of CCA in nu/nu nude mice. The expression of Tac1, MME, NK1R, PCNA, CK-19, and VEGF-A was analyzed in the resulting tumors. Human CCA cell lines had increased expression of Tac1 and NK1R, along with reduced levels of MME compared with nonmalignant cholangiocytes, resulting in a subsequent increase in SP secretion. SP treatment increased CCA cell proliferation in vitro, which was blocked by L-733,060. Treatment with L-733,060 alone inhibited CCA proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Xenograft tumors derived from MME-overexpressed human Mz-ChA-1 CCA cells had a slower growth rate than those derived from control cells. Expression of PCNA, CK-19, and VEGF-A decreased, whereas MME expression increased in the xenograft tumors treated with L-733,060 or MME-overexpressed xenograft tumors compared with controls. The study suggests that SP secreted by CCA promotes CCA growth via autocrine pathway. Blockade of SP secretion and NK1R signaling may be important for the management of CCA.


Author(s):  
Ya-Dong Li ◽  
Yan-Jia Luo ◽  
Wei Xu ◽  
Jing Ge ◽  
Yoan Cherasse ◽  
...  

Abstract The ventral pallidum (VP) regulates motivation, drug addiction, and several behaviors that rely on heightened arousal. However, the role and underlying neural circuits of the VP in the control of wakefulness remain poorly understood. In the present study, we sought to elucidate the specific role of VP GABAergic neurons in controlling sleep–wake behaviors in mice. Fiber photometry revealed that the population activity of VP GABAergic neurons was increased during physiological transitions from non-rapid eye movement (non-REM, NREM) sleep to either wakefulness or REM sleep. Moreover, chemogenetic and optogenetic manipulations were leveraged to investigate a potential causal role of VP GABAergic neurons in initiating and/or maintaining arousal. In vivo optogenetic stimulation of VP GABAergic neurons innervating the ventral tegmental area (VTA) strongly promoted arousal via disinhibition of VTA dopaminergic neurons. Functional in vitro mapping revealed that VP GABAergic neurons, in principle, inhibited VTA GABAergic neurons but also inhibited VTA dopaminergic neurons. In addition, optogenetic stimulation of terminals of VP GABAergic neurons revealed that they promoted arousal by innervating the lateral hypothalamus, but not the mediodorsal thalamus or lateral habenula. The increased wakefulness chemogenetically evoked by VP GABAergic neuronal activation was completely abolished by pretreatment with dopaminergic D1 and D2/D3 receptor antagonists. Furthermore, activation of VP GABAergic neurons increased exploration time in both the open-field and light–dark box tests but did not modulate depression-like behaviors or food intake. Finally, chemogenetic inhibition of VP GABAergic neurons decreased arousal. Taken together, our findings indicate that VP GABAergic neurons are essential for arousal related to motivation.


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