Maternal adrenocortical hormones maintain the early development of pancreatic B cells in the fetal rat.
To investigate the effect of maternal adrenocortical hormones on the development of fetal pancreatic islet cells, pregnant rats were adrenalectomised on d 6 of gestation. On d 12-16 the growth patterns of fetal insulin-producing B cells, glucagon-producing A cells, and somatostatin-producing D cells were observed histometrically. Maternal adrenalectomy resulted in growth retardation of fetal B cells on d 12-15. Maternal corticosterone therapy prevented this retardation. Maternal adrenalectomy, however, did not affect the developmental patterns of A and D cells. By Western blotting and immunohistochemistry, glucocorticoid receptors were demonstrated to be present in the islet cells from d 12 to d 15. These results suggest that maternal adrenocortical hormones, glucocorticoids in particular, maintain the early development of fetal pancreatic B cells through their specific intracellular glucocorticoid receptor.
Department of Anatomy II, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Sagamihara, Japan.
S
S
Komatsu
M
M
Yamamoto
K
K
Arishima
Y
Y
Eguchi
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000502:physiology*; D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000196:embryology*; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000032:analysis; D019864:Somatostatin-Secreting Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D003345:Corticosterone