Effects of prolonged cysteamine administration on the rat adrenal cortex: evidence that endogenous somatostatin is involved in the control of the growth and steroidogenic capacity of zona glomerulosa.
A week daily administration of cysteamine (CYS, 300 mg kg-1) lowered plasma aldosterone concentration in rats, without affecting PRA, kalaemia and the plasma levels of ACTH and corticosterone. Prolonged CYS treatment caused a notable hypertrophy of adrenal zona glomerulosa (ZG) and its parenchymal cells, without inducing any apparent change in zona fasciculata morphology. Isolated ZG cells from CYS-treated rats evidenced a notable enhancement in their basal and maximally-stimulated productions of aldosterone and corticosterone. All these effects of chronic CYS administration were completely reversed by the simultaneous infusion of rats with somatostatin (SRIF, 12 micrograms kg-1 h-1). CYS exposure was not found to directly affect the secretory activity of isolated ZG cells from normal rats. Since CYS is known to be a specific depletor of SRIF in different organs of rats, these findings suggest that endogenous SRIF may be involved in the modulation of ZG function.
Kasprzak
A
A
Department of Anatomy, University of Padua, Italy.
Rebuffat
P
P
Andreis
P G
PG
Mazzocchi
G
G
Nussdorfer
G G
GG
D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000097:blood; D000803:Angiotensin I / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D003543:Cysteamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000502:physiology*; D015384:Zona Glomerulosa / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism
D000450:Aldosterone; D013004:Somatostatin; D003543:Cysteamine; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D000803:Angiotensin I; D003345:Corticosterone