title: Effects of acute restraint stress on endogenous adrenomedullin levels.
abstract: Adrenomedullin (ADM) is a 52 amino acid peptide, with a potent hypotensive/vasodilatory action. Levels of ADM are significantly elevated in patients with hypertension, and it has been postulated that such stressor-related increases may serve a regulatory or protective function. The current study assessed the effects of acute restraint stress on ADM levels in regions of the brain, plasma and peripheral tissue including heart, lung and the adrenal glands of rats. This stressor, known to stimulate sympathetic activity as well as the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, produced a significant increase in ADM levels in the pituitary gland, plasma and adrenal glands, all of which are key components of the HPA axis. The results suggest a regulatory and/or protective role for ADM in countering HPA activation following a variety of physiological and psychological stressors.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Michaud
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Moody
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Anisman
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Merali
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D053607:Adrenomedullin; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D007026:Hypothalamic Area, Lateral / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D053607:Adrenomedullin