title: The effect of long-term insulin treatment with and without antecedent hypoglycemia on neuropeptide and corticosteroid receptor expression in the brains of diabetic rats.
abstract: We previously demonstrated that while diabetic animals receiving long-term insulin treatment exhibited some impairment in their corticosterone response to hypoglycemia, the stress response to hypoglycemia was completely absent when these animals were subjected to recurrent hypoglycemia. In the current study, we examined potential mechanisms that may contribute to defects in the adrenocortical response to hypoglycemia in long-term insulin-treated diabetic animals exposed to antecedent hypoglycemia. Whereas insulin-treated diabetic animals exhibited a significant rise in corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA levels during hypoglycemia, exposure to antecedent hypoglycemia completely abolished this response. Moreover, expression of hippocampal mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) mRNA, which normally act to suppress hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal activity, decreased in the normal control and insulin-treated diabetic groups in response to hypoglycemia, whereas MR mRNA levels remained at baseline in animals subjected to antecedent hypoglycemia. Interestingly, hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mRNA levels decreased in all three treatment groups following the hypoglycemic clamp. While GR mRNA levels in the paraventricular nucleus were lower in normal controls following hypoglycemia, this trend just failed to reach statistical significance in the two diabetic groups. These data suggest that (1) recurrent hypoglycemia, much like uncontrolled diabetes, has a pronounced effect on hippocampal mineralocorticoid receptor mRNA expression that may prevent it, and presumably also the stress axis, from responding properly to a subsequent bout of hypoglycemia, and (2) while long-term insulin treatment was sufficient to restore some of these responses in diabetic animals, tighter glycemic control may be necessary to see full restoration of the stress response.
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto - Department of Physiology, Medical Sciences Building, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Inouye
authors.forename: Owen
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Jessica T Y
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.forename: Qifu
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Stephen G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: Mladen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vranic
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000378:metabolism; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007328:Insulin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism; D018161:Receptors, Mineralocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism; D018013:Receptors, Neuropeptide / Q000378:metabolism*; D011987:Receptors, Steroid / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D018161:Receptors, Mineralocorticoid; D018013:Receptors, Neuropeptide; D011987:Receptors, Steroid; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone