title: Pituitary-adrenal stress response in the absence of brain-pituitary connections.
abstract: To examine whether an acute pituitary-adrenal response to stress may occur in vivo in the absence of hypothalamic-pituitary connections, we measured plasma beta-endorphin (beta-EP) and corticosterone (C) in rats after acute thermal injury. beta-EP rose significantly after thermal injury in normal rats and rats bearing pituitary-to-kidney autotransplants but not in animals with pituitary aspiration without reimplantation. Corticosterone responses paralleled beta-EP but were significant only in normal controls. Propranolol pretreatment did not reduce postburn beta-EP and C rises in autotransplanted animals. Therefore, since circulating factors contribute in vivo to pituitary-adrenal responses, the widespread practice of using "stress hormone" responses to quantitate perioperative stress or pain may in some circumstances be flawed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia and Medicine, Shriners Burns Institute, Boston, MA 02114.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ballantyne
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Osgood
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Szyfelbein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D007016:Hypophysectomy; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000637:transplantation; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000502:physiology*; D011433:Propranolol / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001615:beta-Endorphin; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D011433:Propranolol; D003345:Corticosterone