Control of zona glomerulosa function in the isolated perfused rat adrenal gland in situ

1985 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Hinson ◽  
G. P. Vinson ◽  
B. J. Whitehouse ◽  
G. Price

ABSTRACT The extent to which results obtained using in-vitro techniques can be taken to reflect in-vivo physiological responses in the study of adrenocortical function has not been subjected to systematic study. Some evidence suggests that in-vitro preparative methods may affect the secreted steroid profile. For this reason it seemed desirable to study adrenal function using an isolated perfused whole gland technique, and this study reports results obtained with known aldosterone stimulants. Angiotensin II, ACTH and potassium ions all stimulated aldosterone secretion in a dose-dependent manner. The stimulation thresholds of these substances were compatible with their normal circulating concentrations. For angiotensin II stimulation this preparation was two orders of magnitude more sensitive than any in-vitro preparation. Most importantly, the specific glomerulosa effectors, angiotensin II and potassium, selectively stimulated aldosterone output, and had no consistent effect on corticosterone secretion at any dose used. On the other hand, ACTH stimulated both corticosterone and aldosterone output at all effective concentrations. The actions of α-MSH were also studied using this preparation. Low doses of α-MSH selectively stimulated aldosterone secretion, while higher doses were needed to stimulate corticosterone. The onset of response to all stimulants was invariably seen within the first 10 min after administration of stimulants. Maximal aldosterone output was achieved within the first 10 min whereas corticosterone secretion usually peaked 10–20 min later. The amount of aldosterone produced by this preparation was much higher than the amount produced by dispersed cell preparations, and closely approximated to the levels of aldosterone obtained in adrenal vein blood. The data indicate that the isolated circulation perfused gland system is a sensitive preparation which approximates to the physiological condition. In particular, aldosterone is the prominent glomerulosa product, and corticosterone is, in this system, a more specific marker for inner zone function. J. Endocr. (1985) 104, 387–395

2000 ◽  
Vol 166 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
RE Kramer ◽  
TV Robinson ◽  
EG Schneider ◽  
TG Smith

Disturbances in acid-base balance in vivo are associated with changes in plasma aldosterone concentration, and in vitro changes in extracellular pH (pH(o)) influence the secretion of aldosterone by adrenocortical tissue or glomerulosa cells. There is considerable disparity, however, as to the direction of the effect. Furthermore, the mechanisms by which pH(o) independently affects aldosterone secretion or interacts with other secretagogues are not defined. Thus, bovine glomerulosa cells maintained in primary monolayer culture were used to examine the direct effects of pH(o) on cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i))( )and aldosterone secretion under basal and angiotensin II (AngII)-stimulated conditions. pH(o) was varied from 7.0 to 7.8 (corresponding inversely to changes in extracellular H(+) concentration from 16 nM to 100 nM). Whereas an elevation of pH(o) from 7.4 to 7.8 had no consistent effect, reductions of pH(o) from 7.4 to 7.2 or 7.0 caused proportionate increases in aldosterone secretion that were accompanied by increases in transmembrane Ca(2+) fluxes and [Ca(2+)](i). These effects were abolished by removal of extracellular Ca(2+). A decrease in pH(o) from 7.4 to 7.0 also enhanced AngII-stimulated aldosterone secretion. This effect was more pronounced at low concentrations of AngII and was manifested as an increase in the magnitude of the secretory response with no effect on potency. In contrast to its effect on AngII-stimulated aldosterone secretion, a reduction of pH(o) from 7.4 to 7.0 inhibited the Ca(2+) signal elicited by low concentrations (</=1x10(-10) M) of AngII, but did not affect the increase in [Ca(2+)](i) caused by a maximal concentration (1x10(-8) M) of AngII. These data suggest that pH(o) (i.e. H(+)) has multiple effects on aldosterone secretion. It independently increases aldosterone secretion through a mechanism involving Ca(2+) influx and an increase in [Ca(2+)](i). Also, it modulates the action of AngII by both decreasing the magnitude of the AngII-stimulated Ca(2+) signal and increasing the sensitivity of a more distal site to intracellular Ca(2+). The latter action appears to be a more important determinant in the effects of pH(o) on AngII-stimulated aldosterone secretion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 574
Author(s):  
Celina M. Pollard ◽  
Jennifer Ghandour ◽  
Natalie Cora ◽  
Arianna Perez ◽  
Barbara M. Parker ◽  
...  

Aldosterone is produced by adrenocortical zona glomerulosa (AZG) cells in response to angiotensin II (AngII) acting through its type I receptors (AT1Rs). AT1R is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that induces aldosterone via both G proteins and the adapter protein βarrestin1, which binds the receptor following its phosphorylation by GPCR-kinases (GRKs) to initiate G protein-independent signaling. β-adrenergic receptors (ARs) also induce aldosterone production in AZG cells. Herein, we investigated whether GRK2 or GRK5, the two major adrenal GRKs, is involved in the catecholaminergic regulation of AngII-dependent aldosterone production. In human AZG (H295R) cells in vitro, the βAR agonist isoproterenol significantly augmented both AngII-dependent aldosterone secretion and synthesis, as measured by the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein and CYP11B2 (aldosterone synthase) mRNA inductions. Importantly, GRK2, but not GRK5, was indispensable for the βAR-mediated enhancement of aldosterone in response to AngII. Specifically, GRK2 inhibition with Cmpd101 abolished isoproterenol’s effects on AngII-induced aldosterone synthesis/secretion, whereas the GRK5 knockout via CRISPR/Cas9 had no effect. It is worth noting that these findings were confirmed in vivo, since rats overexpressing GRK2, but not GRK5, in their adrenals had elevated circulating aldosterone levels compared to the control animals. However, treatment with the β-blocker propranolol prevented hyperaldosteronism in the adrenal GRK2-overexpressing rats. In conclusion, GRK2 mediates a βAR-AT1R signaling crosstalk in the adrenal cortex leading to elevated aldosterone production. This suggests that adrenal GRK2 may be a molecular link connecting the sympathetic nervous and renin-angiotensin systems at the level of the adrenal cortex and that its inhibition might be therapeutically advantageous in hyperaldosteronism-related conditions.


2000 ◽  
Vol 166 (2) ◽  
pp. 389-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Salemi ◽  
JG McDougall ◽  
KJ Hardy ◽  
EM Wintour

In vivo and in vitro studies have shown conflicting effects of adrenomedullin (ADM) on the secretion of steroid hormones from the adrenal gland. While some investigators report no effect of this peptide on the output of various hormones, others have reported both stimulatory and inhibitory roles for ADM. We have shown that basal aldosterone secretion rate (ASR), in conscious sheep with cervical adrenal autotransplants, did not change when ADM was infused directly into the adrenal arterial supply. While not affecting basal ASR, ADM did produce pronounced increases in adrenal blood flow (BF). This elevation of BF in association with ADM infusion was seen in all subsequent experiments. When aldosterone output was acutely stimulated by angiotensin II (AngII), potassium chloride (KCl) and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), ADM was seen to drastically reduce the secretion of aldosterone with all agonists studied. After pre-exposure to ADM, all three agonists increased ASR but the magnitude of the responses were somewhat blunted. ADM did not have the same effect on cortisol secretion stimulated by ACTH, suggesting that the ability of this peptide to influence adrenal gland function is limited to the zona glomerulosa. In conditions of chronic elevation of aldosterone levels, such as in Na deficiency, ADM did not display the same inhibitory abilities seen in the acute stimulation experiments. Hence, ADM has been shown to have a direct, inhibitory role on the acute stimulation of aldosterone by AngII, KCl and ACTH while not affecting basal or chronic aldosterone secretion or cortisol secretion stimulated by ACTH.


1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (5) ◽  
pp. E640-E644 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Raff ◽  
D. L. Ball ◽  
T. L. Goodfriend

Systemic hypoxia has been reported to inhibit selectively aldosterone secretion in vivo. The mechanism of this inhibition has not been elucidated. We hypothesized that decreased tissue PO2 directly inhibited aldosteronogenesis. To test this hypothesis, we exposed dispersed adrenocortical cells (90% glomerulosa/10% fasciculata) to decreased PO2 in vitro while simultaneously stimulating aldosterone secretion with angiotensin II, N6,2'-O-dibutyryladenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (dibutyryl cAMP) adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-(1-24), or progesterone. Decreasing buffer PO2 from approximately 150 to approximately 85 Torr significantly inhibited basal and angiotensin II, cAMP, progesterone, and ACTH-stimulated aldosterone secretion at all doses of secretagogue. Inhibition was largest for angiotensin II (55 +/- 9% inhibition at 1 microM) and cAMP (54 +/- 8% at 3 mM) and lowest for ACTH (24% at 100 nM) and basal aldosterone secretion (31 +/- 7%). This inhibition was reversed by returning the buffer PO2 to 150 Torr. Cortisol secretion was not significantly inhibited by decreased buffer PO2. We conclude that decreased buffer PO2 significantly inhibits aldosterone secretion in vitro, and this inhibition is reversible and specific. Hypoxia-induced inhibition of aldosterone secretion in vivo may be caused, at least in part, by a direct effect of low tissue PO2 within the adrenal cortex.


2014 ◽  
Vol 307 (7) ◽  
pp. C634-C647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Cozzoli ◽  
Antonella Liantonio ◽  
Elena Conte ◽  
Maria Cannone ◽  
Ada Maria Massari ◽  
...  

Angiotensin II (ANG II) plays a role in muscle wasting and remodeling; however, little evidence shows its direct effects on specific muscle functions. We presently investigated the acute in vitro effects of ANG II on resting ionic conductance and calcium homeostasis of mouse extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle fibers, based on previous findings that in vivo inhibition of ANG II counteracts the impairment of macroscopic ClC-1 chloride channel conductance (gCl) in the mdx mouse model of muscular dystrophy. By means of intracellular microelectrode recordings we found that ANG II reduced gCl in the nanomolar range and in a concentration-dependent manner (EC50 = 0.06 μM) meanwhile increasing potassium conductance (gK). Both effects were inhibited by the ANG II receptors type 1 (AT1)-receptor antagonist losartan and the protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine; no antagonism was observed with the AT2 antagonist PD123,319. The scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS) N-acetyl cysteine and the NADPH-oxidase (NOX) inhibitor apocynin also antagonized ANG II effects on resting ionic conductances; the ANG II-dependent gK increase was blocked by iberiotoxin, an inhibitor of calcium-activated potassium channels. ANG II also lowered the threshold for myofiber and muscle contraction. Both ANG II and the AT1 agonist L162,313 increased the intracellular calcium transients, measured by fura-2, with a two-step pattern. These latter effects were not observed in the presence of losartan and of the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122 and the in absence of extracellular calcium, disclosing a Gq-mediated calcium entry mechanism. The data show for the first time that the AT1-mediated ANG II pathway, also involving NOX and ROS, directly modulates ion channels and calcium homeostasis in adult myofibers.


1999 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio FERRI ◽  
Giovambattista DESIDERI ◽  
Roberta BALDONCINI ◽  
Cesare BELLINI ◽  
Marco VALENTI ◽  
...  

We investigated the effect of angiotensin II on endothelin-1 secretion in vitro and in vivo. In vivo, angiotensin II was given intravenously to 23 essential hypertensive and 8 control subjects according to different protocols: Study A, 1.0 ngċmin-1ċkg-1 and 3.0 ngċmin-1ċkg-1 angiotensin II for 30 min each; Study B, 1.0 ngċmin-1ċkg-1 and 3.0 ngċmin-1ċkg-1 angiotensin II for 120 min each; Study C, 3.0 ngċmin-1ċkg-1 angiotensin II for 30 min followed by a dose increment of 3.0 ngċmin-1ċkg-1 every 30 min until mean blood pressure levels increased by 25 mmHg; Study D, 1.0 ngċmin-1ċkg-1 followed by 3.0 ngċmin-1ċkg-1 angiotensin II for 60 min each on two different NaCl diets (either 20 mmol NaCl/day or 220 mmol NaCl/day, both for 1 week). In all in vivo studies neither plasma nor urine endothelin-1 levels changed with angiotensin II infusion. In contrast, angiotensin II (10-9, 10-8, 10-7 mol/l) stimulated endothelin-1 secretion from cultured human vascular endothelial cells derived from umbilical cord veins in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The in vitro angiotensin II effects were abolished by candesartan cilexetil, an inhibitor of the membrane-bound AT1 receptor, and also by actinomycin D, an RNA synthesis inhibitor, and cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, indicating that endothelin-1 release depended on AT1 receptor subtype and de novo protein synthesis. Our findings indicate that angiotensin II regulates endothelin-1 release by cultured endothelial cells through an AT1 receptor-dependent pathway, but does not influence circulating endothelin-1 levels in vivo.


1987 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Benyamina ◽  
F. Leboulenger ◽  
I. Lirhmann ◽  
C. Delarue ◽  
M. Feuilloley ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The effect of cholinergic agonists on glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid production by frog interrenal (adrenal) tissue was studied in vitro by means of continuous perifusion. Acetylcholine, at doses ranging from 1 to 100 μmol/l, stimulated both corticosterone and aldosterone output in a dose-dependent manner, with a half-maximal effective dose of 2·5 μmol/l. Corticosteroid production was also stimulated by muscarine (10 μmol/l). In contrast, neither nicotine nor nicotine bitartrate (1–100 μmol/l) enhanced corticosteroid biosynthesis. The kinetics of the response of adrenal cells to acetylcholine and muscarine were similar to those observed during angiotensin II stimulation. In particular, a significant reduction (20–40%) in the spontaneous level of corticosteroid production was recorded after the initial infusion of muscarinic agents, but no further decrease in the basal level occurred after a second cholinergic administration. The effect of acetylcholine was blocked by the muscarinic receptor antagonist atropine (10 μmol/l). These results indicate that acetylcholine can stimulate frog adrenocortical cells through muscarinic receptors. Repeated 20-min pulses of acetylcholine (50 μmol/l) or muscarine (10 μmol/l), given at one pulse per 130 min, resulted in a marked reduction in the secretory response to the second pulse. No reduction in the stimulatory effect of acetylcholine or muscarine was observed when a 6·5-h interval separated two 20-min infusions of the secretagogue. In contrast with these findings, iterative pulses of the muscarinic agonist pilocarpine (in the range 1–100 μmol/l) did not cause any desensitization. These data show that the neurotransmitter acetylcholine can modulate frog adrenocortical function and suggest that, in addition to more conventional regulators, i.e. ACTH and angiotensin II, the cholinergic endings of the splanchnic nerve might participate in the regulation of corticosteroid secretion, at least under some physiological conditions such as neurogenic stress. J. Endocr. (1987) 113, 339–348


1983 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuro Okabe ◽  
Hiroshi Hidaka ◽  
Nakaaki Ohsawa ◽  
Toshio Tsushima

Abstract. In an attempt to obtain an in vitro experimental model for aldosteronoma, primary culture was initiated with adenomas from 3 patients with primary aldosteronism. The cells grown in culture retained the morphology and functional properties characteristic of aldosteronoma cells well for periods of up to 200 days. The cells formed monolayer cell colonies and showed an epithelioid morphology with small nuclei containing prominent nucleoli. The cells possessed a clear, eosinophilic cytoplasm resembling that of aldosteronoma cells in vivo. The cultured cells continued to secrete large amounts of aldosterone throughout the culture period. The cells responded to angiotensin II and III by increased release of aldosterone into the culture medium. They also responded to Db-cAMP and ACTH by increased secretion of the hormone.


2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
H. M. Al-Ramahi

The study was carried out in Babel province, where three sheep farms evaluated for albendazole, levamisol and ivermectin resistance in nematodes by in vivo and in vitro techniques as well as to demonstrate the efficacy of commercial tannin-rich solution on the resistant genera.According to low confidence interval limit of 95% fecal egg count reduction FECR ,In farm I, the animal which treated with levamisol and ivermectin considered as suspected resistant, while the animals which treated with albendazole showed resistance to it. In farm II ,the animal which treated with levamisol and albendazole were considered as suspected resistant ,while no FECR% <95 % was recorded in animals which treated with ivermectin ,and in the same manner ,the animals of farm III which treated with levamisol and albendazole showed suspected resistance and resistance respectively, and no resistance to ivermectin was recorded in animals which treated with it. Also, the results revealed that the combination between in vitro (EHA) and in vivo (FECRT) necessary to confirm the assessment of resistance against benzimedazoles. The most common genus identified from pre treatment feces were Haemonchus ,Trichostrongylus and Cooperia ,while Haemonchus was the only identified genus which demonstrated from post treatment fecal culture.The compared of in vitro effect of condensed tannin CT and thiabendazol revealed that both thiabendazole and CT induced significant egg hatching inhibition in a dose-dependent manner. The thiabendazole required a maximum of 0.5mg/ml, whereas, the CT required a maximum concentration of 2 mg/ml, to induce 100% egg hatch inhibition. The adult worm motility assay showed that the thiabendazole kill all worms at the concentration of 0.25 mg/ml, while CT was showed insignificant killing even in maximum concentration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Zhao ◽  
Fei Wang ◽  
Shaheen Ahmed ◽  
Kan Liu ◽  
Chi Zhang ◽  
...  

Targeting androgen receptor (AR) has been shown to be promising in treating glioblastoma (GBM) in cell culture and flank implant models but the mechanisms remain unclear. AR antagonists including enzalutamide are available for treating prostate cancer patients in clinic and can pass the blood–brain barrier, thus are potentially good candidates for GBM treatment but have not been tested in GBM orthotopically. Our current studies confirmed that in patients, a majority of GBM tumors overexpress AR in both genders. Enzalutamide inhibited the proliferation of GBM cells both in vitro and in vivo. Although confocal microscopy demonstrated that AR is expressed but not specifically in glioma cancer stem cells (CSCs) (CD133+), enzalutamide treatment significantly decreased CSC population in cultured monolayer cells and spheroids, suppressed tumor sphere-forming capacity of GBM cells, and downregulated CSC gene expression at mRNA and protein levels in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We have, for the first time, demonstrated that enzalutamide treatment decreased the density of CSCs in vivo and improved survival in an orthotopic GBM mouse model. We conclude that AR antagonists potently target glioma CSCs in addition to suppressing the overall proliferation of GBM cells as a mechanism supporting their repurposing for clinical applications treating GBM.


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