title: Central catecholaminergic control of ACTH secretion.
abstract: Plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) has been measured after an intra-third ventricular administration of noradrenaline, an adrenergic agonist or an adrenergic antagonist. Centrally administered noradrenaline caused a significant increase in ACTH secretion. The alpha-agonist phenylephrine also increased the ACTH level. However, neither the alpha-antagonist phentolamine nor beta-agonist isoproterenol affected the ACTH level. The beta-antagonist propranolol evoked a significant elevation in ACTH. Passive immunoneutralization was examined with anti-rat corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) rabbit serum, anti-arginine vasopressin (AVP) rabbit serum and normal rabbit serum (NRS) on the intra-third ventricular noradrenaline-induced ACTH secretion to study the involvement of endogenous CRF. An intra-third ventricular administration of noradrenaline caused a significant increase of ACTH levels in NRS-injected rats and anti-AVP-injected rats, whereas an i.v. anti-rat CRF injection significantly reduced the intra-third ventricular noradrenaline-induced ACTH secretion. These results suggest that central catecholamine stimulated ACTH secretion via the alpha-adrenergic mechanism and that endogenous CRF is at least partly involved in the noradrenaline-induced ACTH secretion.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takao
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ota
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000502:physiology*; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000502:physiology; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000494:pharmacology; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D007106:Immune Sera; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D009638:Norepinephrine