Cadmium mimics estrogen-driven cell proliferation and prolactin secretion from anterior pituitary cells.

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal of considerable occupational and environmental concern affecting wildlife and human health. Recent studies indicate that Cd, like other heavy metals, can mimic effects of 17ß-estradiol (E2) involving E2 receptor (ER) activation. Lactotrophs, the most abundant cell type in anterior pituitary gland, are the main target of E2, which stimulates cell proliferation and increases prolactin secretion through ERα. The aim of this work was to examine whether Cd at nanomolar concentrations can induce cell proliferation and prolactin release in anterior pituitary cells in culture and whether these effects are mediated through ERs. Here we show that 10 nM Cd was able to stimulate lactotroph proliferation in anterior pituitary cell cultures from female Wistar rats and also in GH3 lactosomatotroph cell line. Proliferation of somatotrophs and gonadotrophs were not affected by Cd exposure. Cd promoted cell cycle progression by increasing cyclins D1, D3 and c-fos expression. Cd enhanced prolactin synthesis and secretion. Cd E2-like effects were blocked by the pure ERs antagonist ICI 182,780 supporting that Cd acts through ERs. Further, both Cd and E2 augmented full-length ERαexpression and its 46 kDa-splicing variant. In addition, when co-incubated Cd was shown to interact with E2 by inducing ERα mRNA expression which indicates an additive effect between them. This study shows for the first time that Cd at nanomolar concentration displays xenoestrogenic activities by inducing cell growth and stimulating prolactin secretion from anterior pituitary cells in an ERs-dependent manner. Cd acting as a potent xenoestrogen can play a key role in the aetiology of different pathologies of the anterior pituitary and in estrogen-responsive tissues which represent considerable risk to human health.

Cadmium induced-oxidative stress in pituitary gland is reversed by removing the contamination source.

Cadmium (Cd(2+)) is one of the most important environmental contaminants and acts as an endocrine disruptor. Previously, we have demonstrated that the simultaneous administration of Cd(2+) and melatonin (Mel) in drinking water impaired metal-induced oxidative stress in rat anterior pituitary gland. The aim of this study was to investigate if a treatment started after the toxic manifestations of Cd( 2+) became evident could reverse the effects of the metal. Animals exposed to Cd(2+) (5 parts per million [ppm], 30 days) were treated with Mel or without the metal during the next 1 or 2 months. Cd(2+) exposure increased the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a biomarker of oxidative stress, and an a posteriori Mel treatment reversed oxidative stress induced by Cd(2+). This effect was also observed 1 month after metal removal. The Cd(2+)-induced increase in metallothionein-1 (MT-1) and nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1) expression were also reversed by metal removal. In addition, serum prolactin and luteinizing hormone levels affected by Cd( 2+) exposure were normalized. Considering that the manifestations of Cd(2+) intoxication become evident only after a certain period of metal accumulation, these results show that metal removal is enough to reverse Cd(2+) effects in anterior pituitary gland and bring to light the relevance of moving away the individual from the contamination source.

Chromium VI administration induces oxidative stress in hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland from male rats.

Hexavalent chromium (Cr VI)-containing compounds are known carcinogens which are present in industrial settings and in the environment. The major route of chromium exposure for the general population is oral intake. Previously we have observed that Cr VI affects anterior pituitary secretion and causes oxidative stress in vitro. The aim of the present work was to investigate if in vivo Cr VI treatment (100 ppm of Cr VI in drinking water for up 30 days) causes oxidative stress in hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland from male rats. This treatment produced a 4-fold increase of chromium content in hypothalamus and 10-fold increase in anterior pituitary gland. Lipid peroxidation showed a significant increase in hypothalamus and anterior pituitary. Cr VI augmented superoxide dismutase activity in anterior pituitary gland and glutathione reductase activity in hypothalamus, but glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities remained unchanged in both tissues. Heme oxygenase-1 mRNA expression significantly rose in both tissues. Metallothionein 1 mRNA content increased in anterior pituitary and metallothionein 3 mRNA increased in hypothalamus. These results show, for the first time, that oral chronic administration of Cr VI produces oxidative stress on the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland which may affect normal endocrine function.

Nitric oxide sensitive-guanylyl cyclase subunit expression changes during estrous cycle in anterior pituitary glands.

17beta-estradiol (E2) exerts inhibitory actions on the nitric oxide pathway in rat adult pituitary glands. Previously, we reported that in vivo E2 acute treatment had opposite effects on soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) subunits, increasing alpha1- and decreasing beta1-subunit protein and mRNA expression and decreasing sGC activity in immature rats. Here we studied the E2 effect on sGC protein and mRNA expression in anterior pituitary gland from adult female rats to address whether the maturation of the hypothalamus-pituitary axis influences its effects and to corroborate whether these effects occur in physiological conditions such as during estrous cycle. E2 administration causes the same effect on sGC as seen in immature rats, and these effects are estrogen receptor dependent. These results suggest that E2 is the main effector of these changes. Since the sGC alpha-subunit increases while the sGC activity decreases, we studied if other less active isoforms of the sGC alpha-subunit are expressed. Here we show for the first time that sGCalpha2 and sGCalpha2 inhibitory (alpha2i) isoforms are expressed in this gland, but only sGCalpha2i mRNA increased after E2 acute treatment. Finally, to test whether E2 effects take place under a physiological condition, sGC subunit expression was monitored over estrous cycle. sGCalpha1, -beta1, and -alpha2i fluctuate along estrous cycle, and these changes are directly related with E2 level fluctuations rather than to NO level variations. These findings show that E2 physiologically regulates sGC expression and highlight a novel mechanism by which E2 downregulates sGC activity in rat anterior pituitary gland.

Thyroid hormone effect in human hepatocytes.

We have already demonstrated that a combined treatment of methimazole and an antioxidant mixture improved the condition of hyperthyroid patients both biochemically and clinically. Elevated thyroid hormone levels might trigger signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism through the increase of free radicals. To study the direct effect of thyroid hormone on cellular markers of oxidative stress, we carried out in vitro assays in which 0.1-20.0 nM T3 (6.5-1300.0 ng/dl) doses were added to culture media of the human hepatocyte cell line Hep G2 for 1-24 h. T3 increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and intracellular oxidized glutathione (GSSG) levels; SOD activity was also higher with hormone treatment, whereas catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities showed no variation at different T3 doses and during all experimental times. When ascorbic acid was added to the culture, the MDA level decreased and SOD activity was increased. With higher doses of T3 (e.g. 200 nM), cell death occurred (69% of apoptotic cells). The increase in SOD activity was not enough to overcome the effect of T3 since MDA and GSSG remained high during a 24-h experiment. We showed a beneficial effect of ascorbic acid when cells were exposed to a T3 dose of 20 nM, a higher level of hormone than that achieved in hyperthyroidism.

Mechanisms of chromium (VI)-induced apoptosis in anterior pituitary cells.

Hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) is a highly toxic metal. Exposure to Cr (VI) compounds may affect reproductive functions. Due to the importance of anterior pituitary hormones on reproductive physiology we have studied the effects of Cr (VI) on anterior pituitary. We previously demonstrated that, after in vivo Cr (VI) administration, Cr accumulates in the pituitary gland and affects prolactin secretion. In vitro, Cr (VI) causes apoptosis in anterior pituitary cells due to oxidative stress generation. To better understand the mechanisms involved in Cr (VI)-induced apoptosis we studied: (a) whether Cr (VI) affects the intracellular antioxidant response and (b) which of the apoptotic factors participates in Cr (VI) effect. Our results show that Cr (VI) treatment induces a decrease in catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity but does not modify glutathione reductase (GR) activity. Cr (VI) exposure causes an increase of GSH levels. p53 and Bax mRNA are also upregulated by the metal. Pifithrin alpha, a p53 transcriptional inhibitor, increases Cr (VI) cytotoxicity, suggesting a role of p53 as a survival molecule. The antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) could prevent Bax mRNA increase and caspase 3 activation, confirming that Cr (VI)-induced apoptosis involves oxidative stress generation.

Antioxidants and methimazole in the treatment of Graves' disease: effect on urinary malondialdehyde levels.

BACKGROUND: We have postulated that metabolic oxidation could be the source of signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism. The present study was designed to evaluate urinary malondialdehyde levels in Graves' disease and compare this oxidative stress biomarker with the clinical evolution of patients suffering this illness. METHODS: We evaluated the concentration of urinary and serum malondialdehyde (MDA) in 36 patients with Graves' disease. Patients were treated with the antithyroid drug methimazole (MMI; Group A) or antioxidant mixture (200 mg vitamin E, 3 mg beta-carotene, 250 mg vitamin C, 1 mg Cu, 7.5 mg Zn, 1.5 mg Mn, and 15 microg Se; Group B). RESULTS: MDA concentrations were higher in hyperthyroid patients compared to euthyroid controls, and a positive correlation was observed between serum and urinary MDA levels. Group A decreased urinary MDA to control values. There was a positive correlation between the clinical score and the heart rate of patients with urinary MDA before and during the treatment with MMI (Group A). Similar results were observed after treatment with the antioxidant mixture. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary MDA might be a good parameter in the follow-up of patients during MMI treatment. We proposed that oxidative stress correlates with signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism.