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.
Department of Anatomy, University of Padua, Italy.
A
A
Kasprzak
P
P
Rebuffat
P G
PG
Andreis
G
G
Mazzocchi
G G
GG
Nussdorfer
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