title: Abnormal regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in the genetically obese fa/fa rat.
abstract: Adrenalectomy has been shown to reverse most facets of the syndrome of the genetically obese fa/fa rat. However, a detailed analysis of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in these animals is lacking. In the present study, morning corticosteronemia was higher in obese rats of both sexes than in lean ones, whereas evening corticosteronemia was higher only in obese male rats. The HPA axis was further investigated using stressful stimuli. Immobilization, ether, and cold stresses resulted in greater corticosterone levels in obese than in lean animals. These abnormalities consisted in upward shifts of the corticosterone response in obese females and absolute increases in that of obese males, indicating that such alterations were more pronounced in obese male than obese female rats. Due to this, the putative origin of the increased corticosterone output of obese rats was studied in males. Greater levels of ACTH were reached in obese than in lean rats when submitted to a cold stress (6 C). Dexamethasone produced a complete suppression of corticosterone output in both lean and obese rats. During the recovery from such suppression, corticosterone levels rose to higher values in obese than in lean rats. This observation together with the greater cold-induced ACTH output in obese rats suggest that the increased activity of the HPA axis of these animals is of central origin. Whatever its precise etiology within the central nervous system, it is proposed that the increased HPA axis activity in obese rats and its resultant hypercorticism play a role in the establishment and maintenance of their syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoires de Recherches Métaboliques, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guillaume-Gentil
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rohner-Jeanrenaud
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abramo
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Bestetti
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jeanrenaud
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D003907:Dexamethasone; D004986:Ether; D005260:Female; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007103:Immobilization; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D012016:Reference Values; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D004986:Ether; D003907:Dexamethasone; D003345:Corticosterone