title: Serotonin stimulates corticosteroid secretion by frog adrenocortical tissue in vitro.
abstract: The mode of action of serotonin (5-HT) in the regulation of frog adrenal steroidogenesis was studied in vitro using the perifusion system technique. Graded doses of 5-HT (from 10(-8) to 10(-6) M) increased both corticosterone and aldosterone production in a dose-dependent manner. Short pulses (20 min) of 10(-6) M 5-HT, administered at 130 min intervals within the same experiment, did not cause any desensitization phenomenon. Indomethacin (IDM; 5 microM), a cyclooxygenase inhibitor which induced a dramatic decrease in the spontaneous secretion of corticosteroids, did not impair the stimulatory effect of 5-HT on corticosterone and aldosterone production. In the absence of calcium, 5-HT (10(-6) M) was still able to stimulate corticosteroid production. Dantrolene (5 x 10(-5) M), a blocker of calcium mobilization from intracellular pools which significantly inhibited the spontaneous production of corticosteroids, did not suppress 5-HT-evoked corticosteroid secretion. These results show that 5-HT, stored in adrenal chromaffin cells, may act as a paracrine factor to stimulate adrenal steroidogenesis in the frog. Our data also indicate that the mechanism of action of 5-HT does not depend on prostaglandin biosynthesis.
authors.affiliation: Groupe de Recherche en Endocrinologie Moléculaire, CNRS UA 650, Unité Alliée à l'INSERM, Université de Rouen, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delarue
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lefebvre
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Idres
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leboulenger
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Homo-Delarche
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lihrmann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feuilloley
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vaudry
mesh_terms: D015121:6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D003620:Dantrolene / Q000494:pharmacology; D015232:Dinoprostone; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000502:physiology; D011458:Prostaglandins E / Q000378:metabolism; D011898:Ranidae / Q000502:physiology*; D012636:Secretory Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D012701:Serotonin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D011453:Prostaglandins; D011458:Prostaglandins E; D012701:Serotonin; D015121:6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha; D003620:Dantrolene; D015232:Dinoprostone; D002118:Calcium; D007213:Indomethacin