The adrenal cortex after estradiol or daidzein application in a rat model of the andropause: Structural and hormonal study.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Daidzein application may represent an effective and less harmful alternative to indicated, classical estrogenization of ageing men. The aim of this study was to perform structural and hormonal analysis of the adrenal cortex, after estradiol or daidzein supplementation in a rat model of the andropause. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Middle-aged Wistar rats were divided into sham operated (SO; n = 8), orchidectomized (Orx; n = 8), estradiol treated orchidectomized (Orx + E; n = 8) and daidzein treated orchidectomized (Orx + D; n = 8) groups. Estradiol (0.625 mg/kg b.m./day) or daidzein (30 mg/kg b.m./day) were administered subcutaneously for three weeks, while the SO and Orx groups received the vehicle alone. Set objectives were achieved using stereology, histochemistry/immunohistochemistry, immunoassays and ultrastructural analysis. RESULTS: Both estradiol and daidzein treatment significantly increased volumes of the zona glomerulosa cell and nuclei, but decreased circulating aldosterone levels. Estradiol markedly increased volumes of the zona fasciculata cell and nuclei in parallel with significant decrease of the adrenal tissue level of corticosterone, while daidzein significantly decreased both the adrenal and circulating levels of corticosterone. Serum DHEA level and volumes of the zona reticularis cell and nuclei significantly increased upon estradiol treatment, whereas daidzein even stronger increased the circulating level of DHEA. Shunting of the corticosteroidogenesis pathways towards adrenal androgens production, after the treatments, corresponded to the ultrastructural findings and zonal capillary network rearrangements. CONCLUSIONS: Given the coherence of its effects and relative safety, daidzein could be the remedy of choice for the treatment of ageing-caused androgen deprivation and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperfunction/related metabolic issues in males.

Morfometría de la corteza suprarrenal y de los valores séricos de sodio y potasio en ratas tratadas con Petiveria alliacea / Morphometry of the suprarrenal cortex and of the serum values of sodium and potasium in rats treated with Petiveria alliaca

Para la introducción terapéutica del preparado total de Petiveria alliacea es necesario demostrar la ausencia de efectos dañinos en órganos endocrinos tan importantes como las cápsulas suprarrenales, que intervienen de forma relevante en el mantenimiento de la presión arterial, y del equilibrio hidromineral. Para conseguir tales propósitos se realizó un estudio morfométrico de la corteza suprarrenal y se determinaron los valores séricos de sodio y potasio en ratas SHR de 3 meses de edad tratadas con preparado total de Petiveria alliacea, así como a sus controles respectivos. Se observó una disminución significativa en el tamaño de la capa glomerular en los animales tratados que pudiera provocar una disminución en los niveles de aldosterona en sangre. El aumento significativo de la corteza suprarrenal en estos animales pudiera estar relacionado con un aumento en la secreción del cortisol y esto a su vez favorecer la función renal(AU)

Zonal variation in the distribution of an alpha 1-acid glycoprotein glycoform receptor in human adrenal cortex.

Using a histochemical technique with three different alpha 1-acid glycoprotein glycoform one glycoform specific receptor has been identified in human adrenal cortex. The receptor is associated to alpha 1-acid glycoprotein glycoform B and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein glycoform C. The glycoform specific receptor was located in the cytoplasm of glomerulosa and outer fasciculata cells. The intensity of the reaction product decreased in the fasciculata, and no staining was seen in inner fasciculata and reticularis. Inhibition with the simple sugars, mannose and GlcNAc confirmed a lectin-like reaction. The binding activity was dependent on the presence of calcium ions and not on thiol reagents. Thus the lectin-like receptor may belong to the C-type lectin family. Using an antibody to alpha 1-acid glycoprotein the presence of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein was observed in the same location as the glycoform specific receptor. The binding of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein glycoform B and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein glycoform C to the glycoform specific receptor is inhibited by the steroid hormones cortisone, aldosterone, estradiol and progesterone but not by testosterone. The pronounced changes in the distribution of AGP and its glycoform receptors during cell differentiation in the adrenal cortex suggest that AGP and its complementary lectins belong to the group of lectins which control differentiation and spatial position.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis changes in the rat after long-term treatment with the reversible monoamine oxidase-A inhibitor moclobemide.

The effects of the reversible monoamine oxidaseA (MAOA) inhibitor moclobemide on the rat hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis were studied. The time-course experiments showed that moclobemide, given via the drinking water (4.5 mg/kg/day), produces significant decreases (p < 0.05) in adrenal weight after 5 (-23%) and 7 weeks (-16%) of treatment. It was found that long-term moclobemide treatment had neuroanatomically distinct effects on corticosteroid receptor expression. Hippocampal mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) levels were upregulated at 2 (+65%), 5 (+76%) and 7 (+19%) weeks of treatment. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels in this limbic brain structure were slightly up-regulated by 10% at 5 weeks, and indistinguishable from controls after 2 and 7 weeks of treatment. After 5 weeks of treatment, MR levels were unchanged in the hypothalamus, and increased by 44, 24 and 28% in the neocortex, amygdala and anterior pituitary, respectively. GR concentrations were elevated by 24 and 14% in the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary, respectively, whereas neocortical and amygdaloid receptor levels were not altered. After 5 weeks of moclobemide treatment, marked decreases in [125I]Tyr0-ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone ([125I])-oCRH binding capacity and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA content were observed in the anterior pituitary. Regarding the functional implications of long-term anti-depressant treatment, moclobemide treatment (5 weeks, 4.5 mg/kg/day) significantly attenuated stress (30-min novel environment)-induced plasma ACTH (-35%) and corticosterone (-29%) levels; no changes were observed in basal plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels. In conclusion, this study shows that moclobemide has a concerted influence on multiple elements of the HPA axis manifesting functionally as a reduced neuroendocrine responsiveness to stress. In previous experiments, it was found that the structurally and pharmacologically distinct antidepressant amitriptyline after long-term administration also attenuated HPA axis activity. We postulate that an adjustement of HPA axis activity may be regarded as a common denominator for clinically efficacious antidepressant drugs.

[The effects of electroacupuncture treatment on nucleolar organizer regions of adrenal cortex in ovariectomized rats].

The present paper reports the morphometric analysis of nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) of the adrenal cortex in ovariectomized rats following electroacupuncture (EA) using argyrephil (Ag-NOR) method for NORs. Animals were divided into four groups, the control group (CT group, n = 4), the EA group (n = 3), the ovariectomized group (OV group, n = 4) and the ovariectomized electroacupuncture group, (OV+EA group, n = 7). The number of AgNORs of 100 cells from zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex in each case of all groups was counted at random and the mean +/- SE (number/cell) in each group was calculated as follows: OV+EA group 2.71 +/- 0.26, OV group 1.62 +/- 0.15, EA group 1.21 +/- 0.04 and CT group 1.48 +/- 0.03. The mean of AgNORs in OV+EA group differed highly significantly from the other three groups (P < 0.01) tested by ANOVA and LSD method, No significant distinction was found among the OV group, EA group and CT group. Gross specimen examination showed that adrenal glands in OV+EA were significantly heavier than those in the other three groups (P < 0.01). Vaginal smears showed that a response like that of estrogen-induced with exfoliative cells appeared in the OV+EA group rats following EA. EA had no influence on the change of exfoliative cells in EA group. The results suggest that EA may promote the synthesis and secretion of the adrenal steroid hormones, the androgen of which will then be transformed into estrogen in other tissues, thus compensating the deficiency of estrogen induced by ovariectomy.

Caffeine enhances the speed of the recovery of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis after chronic prednisolone administration in the rat.

Chronic administration of corticosteroids results in a suppression of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. The time course of the recovery of the HPA axis depends on the dose and duration of corticosteroid administration. We investigated the recovery of the HPA axis after 14 days of prednisolone administration to rats at a dose of 2.0 mg/rat/day via the drinking water (188 mumol/l). The in vitro corticosterone production by dispersed adrenal cells in response to increasing concentrations of ACTH had recovered 3 days after stopping prednisolone administration. In parallel the initially suppressed plasma corticosterone concentrations had recovered after 3 days, while the pituitary ACTH content had recovered after 5 days. We investigated the possibility to enhance the speed of the recovery of the HPA axis by the simultaneous administration of two drugs with known CRF-stimulating activity via the drinking water. Caffeine in a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight enhanced the recovery of the prednisolone-suppressed HPA axis significantly. One day after the end of prednisolone administration a significant increase in the adrenal weight, in the corticosterone production by dispersed adrenal cells, as well as in the plasma corticosterone concentrations, and in the pituitary ACTH content was observed in the caffeine-treated rats. Chlorimipramine (20 mg/kg body weight), on the other hand, did not influence the prednisolone-mediated suppression of the HPA axis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effect of potassium on the sodium requirements of growing steers with and without alpha-tocopherol supplementation.

1. Hereford steers, housed in concreted yards and given demineralized water, were offered ad lib. a low-sodium (0.07 g Na and 4.5 g potassium/kg) basal diet of sorghum grain, urea and minerals, to which 0, 15 or 30 g K as KHCO3/KG diet had been added. Mean daily intakes of K were 26, 107 and 168 g/steer respectively. 2. The steers were given daily supplements of 0, 3.25 or 6.50 g Na as NAHCO3/steer, added to the food; mean daily intakes of Na (food plus supplemental NaHCO3 minus residues) were 0.41, 3.06 and 6.26 g/steer respectively. 3. Rate of gain of body-weight was positively related to the rate of Na supplementation and negatively related to the K content of the diet, but there was no interaction between Na and K contents of the diet. 4. the Na:K ratios for the parotid saliva from steers not given Na supplements was 0.3, whereas steers ingesting either 3.1 or 6.3 g Na/d had Na:K ratios of about 12. Increasing the amount of K in the diet had no consistent effect on the saliva Na:K ratio. The Na:K ratios for rumen fluid reflected changes in the saliva Na:K ratio in response to Na supplements and were inversely related to the amount of K in the diet. 5. The width of the adrenal zona glomerulosa from steers receiving the basal diet, without Na supplements, was significantly greater than that from steers given the Na supplements, but it was not affected by the amount of K in the diet. 6. Both Na supplements and the diet containing 30 g added K/kg significantly increased the Na:K ratio of the plasma. 7. The addition of 200 mg DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate/steer per d to the diet had no significant effects on the growth rate of the steers. 8. It was concluded that the Na requirement of steers for growth was not signficantly affected by the amount of K in the diet up to 168 g/d.