scholarly journals Melatonin MT1 and MT2 Receptors Exhibit Distinct Effects in the Modulation of Body Temperature across the Light/Dark Cycle

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 2452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha López-Canul ◽  
Seung Hyun Min ◽  
Luca Posa ◽  
Danilo De Gregorio ◽  
Annalida Bedini ◽  
...  

Melatonin (MLT) is a neurohormone that regulates many physiological functions including sleep, pain, thermoregulation, and circadian rhythms. MLT acts mainly through two G-protein-coupled receptors named MT1 and MT2, but also through an MLT type-3 receptor (MT3). However, the role of MLT receptor subtypes in thermoregulation is still unknown. We have thus investigated the effects of selective and non-selective MLT receptor agonists/antagonists on body temperature (Tb) in rats across the 12/12-h light–dark cycle. Rectal temperature was measured every 15 min from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., following subcutaneous injection of each compound at either 5:00 a.m. or 5:00 p.m. MLT (40 mg/kg) had no effect when injected at 5 a.m., whereas it decreased Tb during the light phase only when injected at 5:00 p.m. This effect was blocked by the selective MT2 receptor antagonist 4P-PDOT and the non-selective MT1/MT2 receptor antagonist, luzindole, but not by the α1/MT3 receptors antagonist prazosin. However, unlike MLT, neither the selective MT1 receptor partial agonist UCM871 (14 mg/kg) nor the selective MT2 partial agonist UCM924 (40 mg/kg) altered Tb during the light phase. In contrast, UCM871 injected at 5:00 p.m. increased Tb at the beginning of the dark phase, whereas UCM924 injected at 5:00 a.m. decreased Tb at the end of the dark phase. These effects were blocked by luzindole and 4P-PDOT, respectively. The MT3 receptor agonist GR135531 (10 mg/kg) did not affect Tb. These data suggest that the simultaneous activation of both MT1 and MT2 receptors is necessary to regulate Tb during the light phase, whereas in a complex but yet unknown manner, they regulate Tb differently during the dark phase. Overall, MT1 and MT2 receptors display complementary but also distinct roles in modulating circadian fluctuations of Tb.

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (10) ◽  
pp. 1174-1179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Isobe ◽  
S. Takaba ◽  
K. Ohara

Effects of photoperiod on heat resistance were studied in 88 rats by observing their survival times in a hot environment (42.5 °C). Prior to the experiments individual rats were exposed to a given heat (42.5 °C) at a definite time of day and a "predicted survial time" in a given heat in individual rats was obtained. Rats were then divided into eight groups (with nine rats in each group) so as to ensure intergroup homogeneity regarding their predicted survival time and were exposed to heat at different times of day (every 3 h) until they were exhausted.It was found that the heat resistance varied with the time of day. In the eight groups kept under a normal light–dark cycle (L, 0700–1900; D, 1900–0700), heat resistances were observed to be significantly higher in the light phase than in the dark phase. Lethal body temperature was not correlated with the heat resistance. In two other groups (n = 8) kept under conditions reversed from the normal lighting cycle, resistance was higher in the nighttime (corresponding to the light phase when the rats were kept in the reversed lighting cycle) than in the morning (corresponding to the dark phase), these changes being accompanied by a phase shift of the diurnal changes in body temperature.


1977 ◽  
Vol 232 (1) ◽  
pp. R31-R37 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Moore-Ede ◽  
D. A. Kass ◽  
J. A. Herd

In four conscious chair-acclimatized squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) studied with lights on (600 lx) from 0800 to 2000 h daily (LD 12:12), prominent 24-h rhythms in feeding, drinking, activity, body temperature, and urinary potassium, sodium, and water excretion were seen. When the monkeys were subjected to 36 h of darkness followed by 36 h of light each variable demonstrated a circadian rhythm which was not passively dependent on the light-dark cycle. After the 24-h light-dark cycle was abruptly phase-delayed by 8 h, all the rhythms resynchronized with the new light-dark cycle phase, demonstrating that light-dark cycles are an effective zeitgeber. However, the resynchronization of the rhythms of feeding, drinking, activity, and body temperature was 90% complete within approximately 2 days while the 90% resynchronization of the urinary rhythms took approximately 5 days. These results suggest that the circadian timing system in S. sciureus may consist of several spontaneously oscillating units which can become transiently uncoupled during pertubations of environmental time cues.


1985 ◽  
Vol 248 (4) ◽  
pp. R434-R438 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Albers ◽  
L. Yogev ◽  
R. B. Todd ◽  
B. D. Goldman

The 24-h patterns of circulating cortisol and corticosterone were determined in male hamsters housed under a 14:10 light-dark cycle. Corticoid levels varied significantly over the 24-h sampling period with peak levels of both hormones occurring near the onset of the daily dark phase. The ratio of cortisol to corticosterone changed dramatically during the day. Corticosterone levels were significantly higher than cortisol during the early part of the light phase; however, cortisol levels became significantly higher than corticosterone when both hormones began their daily rise. To examine whether the circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion could be involved in the physiological control of hamster circadian organization, cortisol was infused at approximately physiological levels into adrenalectomized hamsters either continuously or in a 24-h rhythm. No significant differences were observed in the timing of circadian wheel-running rhythms in hamsters housed in LD 16:8, LD 14:10, or LL when cortisol was infused continuously, in a 24-h rhythm that mimicked the cortisol rhythm of intact hamsters, or in a 24-h rhythm several hours out of phase with the rhythm of intact hamsters. Provision of cortisol in a 24-h rhythm appeared to promote the survival of adrenalectomized hamsters since hamsters receiving a 24-h pattern of cortisol survived the experimental protocol significantly longer than those receiving the same dose of cortisol continuously.


1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (6) ◽  
pp. R1579-R1587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Rashotte ◽  
Seppo Saarela ◽  
Ross P. Henderson ◽  
Esa Hohtola

The pigeon's main source of regulated heat production, shivering, is especially likely to be used for thermoregulation during the dark phase of the day when there is little heat from locomotor activity. However, food stored in the pigeon's crop is digested during the night, and digestion-related thermogenesis (DRT) will provide heat that should decrease the need for shivering to maintain body temperature (Tb). We investigated the conditions under which DRT alters the occurrence of nocturnal shivering thermogenesis in pigeons. In fasting experiments, in which DRT was minimal, variations in pectoral shivering were closely related to the kinetics of nocturnal Tb when the ambient temperature (Ta) was moderate (21°C). In that case, shivering was low while Tb fell at the beginning of the night, moderate during the nocturnal plateau in Tb, and strong during the prelight increase in Tb. Similar kinetics of nocturnal Tb occurred when Ta = 28°C, but shivering was negligible throughout the dark phase. In restricted feeding experiments, nocturnal DRT was varied by providing different amounts of food late in the light phase. When Ta = 21°C, 11°C, and 1°C, nocturnal Tb and O2 consumption were directly related to the amount of food ingested. However, nocturnal shivering tended to decrease as the food load increased and was significantly reduced at the higher loads. Because nocturnal shivering did not become more efficient in producing heat as the size of the food load increased, we conclude that nocturnal DRT decreased the need for shivering thermogenesis.


1959 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erwin Bünning

The running activity was used as a measure of the course of the endogenous diurnal periodicity in Periplaneta americana. The influence of low temperatures (+5°, +3°, -2°), which acted on the diurnal cycle at different times was tested. In one of the two half cycles the delay of the internal clock due to the chilling was smaller or equal to the duration of the chilling. During this phase, at least at temperatures greater than zero, a minimum time of chilling was necessary in order to demonstrate the delay clearly. In the other half cycle the delay is greater than the duration of the chilling.It is concluded that oscillations of relaxation are the basis of these phenomena. The phase of tension requires a minimum temperature. Below this minimum a gradual relaxation occurs. The phase of relaxation continues at low temperatures, but after some time it is gradually delayed.The normal 24-hour light-dark cycle regulates these oscillations in such a way that the phase of tension begins in the second half of the light phase and it attains its maximum in the first part of the dark phase.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa M. Fonseca ◽  
Mariane C. Vicente ◽  
Stephanie Fournier ◽  
Richard Kinkead ◽  
Kênia C. Bícego ◽  
...  

AbstractLight/dark cycle affects the physiology of vertebrates and hypothalamic orexin neurons (ORX) are involved in this function. The breathing pattern of the green iguana changes from continuous to episodic across the light/dark phases. Since the stimulatory actions of ORX on breathing are most important during arousal, we hypothesized that ORX regulates changes of breathing pattern in iguanas. Thus, we: (1) Localized ORX neurons with immunohistochemistry; (2) Quantified cyclic changes in plasma orexin-A levels by ELISA; (3) Compared breathing pattern at rest and during hypoxia and hypercarbia; (4) Evaluated the participation of the ORX receptors in ventilation with intracerebroventricular microinjections of ORX antagonists during light and dark phases. We show that the ORX neurons of I. iguana are located in the periventricular hypothalamic nucleus. Orexin-A peaks during the light/active phase and breathing parallels these cyclic changes: ventilation is higher during the light phase than during the dark phase. However, inactivation of ORX-receptors does not affect the breathing pattern. Iguanas increase ventilation during hypoxia only during the light phase. Conversely, CO2 promotes post-hypercarbic hyperpnea during both phases. We conclude that ORXs potentiate the post-hypercarbic (but not the hypoxic)-drive to breathe and are not involved in light/dark changes in the breathing pattern.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (1) ◽  
pp. R71-R77 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Gordon

Some studies suggest that the nocturnal elevation in core temperature (Tc) of the rat is mediated by an elevation in the set point. The role of set point can be assessed if behavioral effectors are measured simultaneously with other thermoregulatory effectors and Tc over a 24-h period. Selected ambient temperature (STa) and motor activity (MA) were measured in rats housed in a temperature gradient system with a 12:12-h photoperiod (lights on 0600 h). Tc and heart rate (HR) were monitored by telemetry. During the light phase, STa, Tc, HR, and MA were relatively stable with values 29.0 degrees C, 37.1 degrees C, 310 beats/min, and 1-2 m/h, respectively. During the light-to-dark transition there were abrupt elevations in Tc, HR, and MA but no change in STa. STa decreased during the dark phase and reached a nadir of 23 degrees C at 0500 h. All variables recovered to basal levels within 3-4 h after the onset of the light phase. Overall, autonomic effectors control the elevation in Tc during the onset of the dark phase while behavioral effectors have little if any role. Behavioral thermoregulation is important in two ways: 1) the selection of cooler Ta values at night to prevent an excess elevation in Tc and 2) a preference for cooler Ta values before the light phase to facilitate the recovery of Tc.


1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 2154-2157 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Shido ◽  
Y. Yoneda ◽  
T. Nagasaka

Male Wistar rats, initially maintained at an ambient temperature (Ta) of 23.8 degrees C, were subjected to one of seven different heat acclimation schedules under a 12:12-h light-dark cycle (lights on at 0600 h). Two groups of rats were exposed to Ta of 32.4 degrees C all day for 5 (HC5) or 10 (HC10) days. The other four groups were exposed to Ta of 32.8 degrees C for 5 h/day during the last half of the dark phase for 5 (NI5) or 10 (NI10) consecutive days or during the last half of the light phase for 5 (DI5) or 10 (DI10) consecutive days. Control rats (C) were kept at 23.8 degrees C throughout the experiment. Hypothalamic temperature (Thy) was measured every 5 min with a chronically implanted thermocouple from 1 day before the beginning to 2 days after the end of the heat acclimation periods. During the heat acclimation periods, daily mean Thy rose significantly in HC5 and HC10 rats but decreased significantly in NI5 and NI10 rats. Daily mean Thy did not change in C, DI5, and DI10 rats. Thy in HC10 rats sharply decreased at the end of the heat acclimation periods and remained at low levels for approximately 3 h. On the 2nd postacclimation day, however, mean Thy returned and remained at a significantly higher level. In NI10 rats, the mean Thy in the postacclimation period was significantly lower than the preacclimation values. No such changes in mean Thy were observed in DI10 rats. Five-days of heat exposure had little effect on the postacclimation Thy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1978 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin M. Hetherington

The rectal temperature of 8 marmosets was taken regularly throughout a 76 hour period. A pronounced circadian rhythm was detected: body temperature reached a maximum during the light phase and a minimum during the dark phase.


Endocrinology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 146 (8) ◽  
pp. 3295-3300 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. C. McGowan ◽  
S. A. Stanley ◽  
K. L. Smith ◽  
N. E. White ◽  
M. M. Connolly ◽  
...  

Abstract Relaxin-3 (INSL-7) is a recently discovered member of the insulin superfamily. Relaxin-3 mRNA is expressed in the nucleus incertus of the brainstem, which has projections to the hypothalamus. Relaxin-3 binds with high affinity to the LGR7 receptor and to the previously orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPCR135. GPCR135 mRNA is expressed predominantly in the central nervous system, particularly in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). The presence of relaxin-3 and these receptors in the PVN led us to investigate the effect of central administration of relaxin-3 on food intake in male Wistar rats. The receptor involved in mediating these effects was also investigated. Intracerebroventricular injections of human relaxin-3 (H3) to satiated rats significantly increased food intake 1 h post administration in the early light phase [0.96 ± 0.16 g (vehicle) vs. 1.81 ± 0.21 g (180 pmol H3), P < 0.05] and the early dark phase [2.95 ± 0.45 g (vehicle) vs. 4.39 ± 0.39 g (180 pmol H3), P < 0.05]. Intra-PVN H3 administration significantly increased 1-h food intake in satiated rats in the early light phase [0.34 ± 0.16 g (vehicle) vs. 1.23 ± 0.30 g (18 pmol H3), P < 0.05] and the early dark phase [4.43 ± 0.32 g (vehicle) vs. 6.57 ± 0.42 g (18 pmol H3), P < 0.05]. Feeding behavior increased after intra-PVN H3. Equimolar doses of human relaxin-2, which binds the LGR7 receptor but not GPCR135, did not increase feeding. Hypothalamic neuropeptide Y, proopiomelanocortin, or agouti-related peptide mRNA expression did not change after acute intracerebroventricular H3. These results suggest a novel role for relaxin-3 in appetite regulation.


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