Endocrinology
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Glucocorticoids secreted in response to stress activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis feed back onto the brain to rapidly suppress neuroendocrine activation, including oxytocin and vasopressin secretion. Here we show using whole-cell patch clamp recordings that glucocorticoids elicit a rapid, opposing action on synaptic glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release onto magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus, suppressing glutamate release and facilitating GABA release by activating a putative membrane receptor. The glucocorticoid effect on both glutamate and GABA release was blocked by inhibiting postsynaptic G protein activity, suggesting a dependence on postsynaptic G protein signaling and the involvement of a retrograde messenger. ⋯ The glucocorticoid suppression of glutamate release was blocked by the type I cannabinoid receptor cannabinoid receptor antagonist, AM251, and was mimicked and occluded by AEA and 2-AG, suggesting it was mediated by retrograde endocannabinoid release. The glucocorticoid facilitation of GABA release was also blocked by AM251 but was not mimicked by AEA, 2-AG, or a synthetic cannabinoid, WIN 55,212-2, nor was it blocked by vanilloid or ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists, suggesting that it was mediated by a retrograde messenger acting at an AM251-sensitive, noncannabinoid/nonvanilloid receptor at presynaptic GABA terminals. The combined, opposing actions of glucocorticoids mediate a rapid inhibition of the magnocellular neuroendocrine cells, which in turn should mediate rapid feedback inhibition of the secretion of oxytocin and vasopressin by glucocorticoids during stress activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
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Estrogens are reported to have both anxiogenic and anxiolytic properties. This dichotomous neurobiological response to estrogens may be mediated by the existence of two distinct estrogen receptor (ER) systems, ERalpha and ERbeta. In brain, ERalpha plays a critical role in regulating reproductive neuroendocrine function, whereas ERbeta may be more important in regulating nonreproductive functions. ⋯ To confirm that DPN's anxiolytic actions are ER mediated, the nonselective ER antagonist tamoxifen was administered alone or in combination with DPN. Tamoxifen blocked the previously identified anxiolytic actions of DPN. Taken together, these findings suggest that the anxiolytic properties of estrogens are ERbeta mediated.
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Dysregulation of the adipoinsular axis in male obese Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF; fa/fa) rats, a model of type 2 diabetes, results in chronic hyperinsulinemia and increased de novo lipogenesis in islets, leading to beta-cell failure and diabetes. Diazoxide (DZ; 150 mg/kg.d), an inhibitor of insulin secretion, was administered to prediabetic ZDF animals for 8 wk as a strategy for prevention of diabetes. DZ reduced food intake (P < 0.02) and rate of weight gain only in ZDF rats (P < 0.01). ⋯ Islet fatty acid synthase mRNA (P < 0.03), acyl coenzyme A carboxylase mRNA (P < 0.01), uncoupling protein-2 mRNA (P < 0.01), and triglyceride content (P < 0.005) were only decreased in DZ-ZDF rats, whereas islet insulin mRNA and insulin content were increased in DZ-ZDF (P < 0.01) and DZ-ZL rats (P < 0.03). DZ-induced beta-cell rest improved the lipid profile, enhanced the metabolic efficiency of insulin, and prevented beta-cell dysfunction and diabetes in diabetes-prone animals. This therapeutic strategy may be beneficial in preventing beta-cell failure and progression to diabetes in humans.
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Previous work suggests that normal GLUT4 content is sufficient for increases in muscle glucose uptake (MGU) during hyperinsulinemia, because glucose phosphorylation is the more formidable barrier to insulin-stimulated MGU. It was hypothesized that a partial ablation of GLUT4 would not impair insulin-stimulated MGU when glucose phosphorylation capacity is normal but would do so when glucose phosphorylation capacity is increased. Thus, chow-fed C57BL/6J mice with a GLUT4 partial knockout (GLUT4(+/-)), hexokinase II overexpression (HK(Tg)), or both (HK(Tg) + GLUT4(+/-)) and wild-type littermates were studied. ⋯ However, the enhanced insulin-stimulated R(g) created by HK overexpression was ablated in HK(Tg) + GLUT4(+/-) mice. Thus, a 50% reduction of normal GLUT4 content in the presence of normal HK activity does not impair insulin-stimulated MGU. However, when the glucose phosphorylation barrier is lowered by HK overexpression, GLUT4 availability becomes a limitation to insulin-stimulated MGU.
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Central glucostasis is a critical monitored variable in neuroendocrine regulation of pituitary LH secretion. Glucoprivic signals originating within the caudal hindbrain suppress LH. Septopreoptic mu opioid receptors (mu-R) function within neural pathways maintaining basal LH levels and mediate the effects of diverse physiological stimuli on hormone release. ⋯ Dual immunocytochemical labeling for septopreoptic mu-R-ir and Fos-ir demonstrated a robust induction of Fos expression by receptor-positive neurons within discrete septopreoptic sites in response to CV4 5TG, a genomic response that was diminished by CTOP pretreatment. The current studies provide novel evidence for the transcriptional activation of neuroanatomically characterized, mu-R-expressing neurons by decreased hindbrain glucose utilization and show that the functional status of mu-R is critical for maximal induction of the Fos stimulus-transcription cascade in these cells by central glucoprivic signaling. The finding that receptor antagonist-mediated suppression of this genomic response is correlated with increased reproductive neuroendocrine output supports a role for these discrete mu-R-expressing neuron populations as substrates for ligand regulatory effects on the GnRH-pituitary LH axis during neuroglucopenia.