Fos activation and upregulation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase in the rat pituitary by acute capsaicin injection.
In this study, we examined the effect of acute capsaicin injection on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d, a histochemical index of nitric oxide, NO, synthase) and Fos expression in the rat pituitary gland. Compared with vehicle, capsaicin significantly activated Fos expression in the anterior and intermediate lobes. In addition, capsaicin-treated rats showed a significant upregulation of NADPH-d in the anterior and neural lobes. Pretreatment of the animals with a specific NO synthase inhibitor, N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), significantly attenuated the capsaicin-induced Fos expression in the anterior and intermediate lobes. These observations suggest that NO is a key regulator of the acute effect of capsaicin on the pituitary gland.
Okere
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Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Okoh-cho, Nankoku, 783-8505, Kochi, Japan. chuma.okere@drexel.edu
Higuchi
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Kaba
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D000818:Animals; D002211:Capsaicin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D010904:Pituitary Gland, Posterior / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase; D002211:Capsaicin; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester