title: Effects of oxytocin on the function and morphology of the rat adrenal cortex: in vitro and in vivo investigations.
abstract: The effects of oxytocin (OX) on the function and morphology of the rat adrenal cortex were studied in vivo and in vitro. OX exerted a potent stimulatory action on basal, but not 10(-8) M ACTH-stimulated corticosterone (B) secretion of dispersed rat inner (zona fasciculata and zona reticularis) adrenocortical cells (maximal effective concentration: 10(-9) M); in contrast, at higher concentrations (10(-7)/10(-6) M) OX inhibited maximally ACTH-stimulated B output. A single subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of 1.2 nmol/100 g body weight OX resulted in a long-lasting (up to 12 h) rise in plasma B concentration (PBC). The prolonged administration of OX (daily s.c. injections of 0.6 or 1.2 nmol/100 g for 10 days) caused a marked lowering in the adrenal weight and volume of all adrenocortical zones, that in turn was due to a decrease in the number of their parenchymal cells; however, the average volume of inner adrenocortical cells was significantly increased. Basal PBC was lowered, but its response to ether stress was unchanged in comparison with control rats. Prolonged OX treatment did not change B secretion by adrenal slices, but it markedly raised that of dispersed inner adrenocortical cells. Our present findings clearly show that the effects of OX on the adrenal cortex depend on the experimental model employed (in vitro versus in vivo) and the duration of treatment (acute versus chronic). Taken together they allow us to conclude that OX exerts an acute direct stimulatory effect on the rat adrenal cortex, and a chronic inhibitory one, that at least in part could be due to the interference of OX with the mechanism(s) of intracellular transduction of the ACTH secretagogue signal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stachowiak
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Macchi
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Nussdorfer
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Malendowicz
mesh_terms: D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012636:Secretory Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D014599:Uterus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003345:Corticosterone