Endocrinology
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Adrenal secretory rates of catecholamines in response to a repeated stimulus have not been described. We have used repeated small hemorrhages spaced 24 h apart in pentobarbital anesthetized dogs prepared with a chronic adrenal venous catheter to study this question. Our results confirm earlier reports that an initial 7.5 ml/kg hemorrhage is a mild stimulus to the adrenal medullar secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine, However, when this stimulus is repeated 24 h later, a greatly potentiated secretory response of both hormones is seen. ⋯ This factor appears to be subject to a threshold that lies between a 3.75 and 7.5 ml/kg hemorrhage. A significant catecholamine response on day 1 was not essential for the potentiated response on day 2. Thus, this phenomenon does not appear to be the result of adrenal enzyme induction as a consequence of prior adrenal medullary stimulation.
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Comparative Study
Differential effects of parathyroid hormone on the renal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 production of young and adult rats.
In young rats, PTH markedly stimulates the renal conversion of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3], the biologically active form of vitamin D3. With increasing age, serum 1,25-(OH)2D3 decreases while serum PTH increases. Therefore, the effect of PTH on the renal metabolism of 25OHD3 to 24,25-(OH)2D3 or 1,25-(OH)2D3 was compared in young and adult rats. ⋯ The PTH-stimulated increase in the cAMP content of renal slices from adult rats was 75% that of slices from young rats. These studies demonstrate that PTH modulates renal 24,25-(OH)2D3 production in the adult. However, PTH does not modulate renal 1,25-(OH)2D3 production in the adult under the same conditions that produce a PTH effect in the young animal.
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The adrenal medullary catecholamine response to graded hemorrhage has not been characterized in awake animals. Using high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection, secretion rates of epinephrine and norepinephrine were measured in trained awake dogs with chronic adrenal venous cannulas. ⋯ The response pattern is biphasic, with an early response by 10 min and a late response by 30 min after the onset of hemorrhage. Finally, the adrenal medullary system appears to have the potential to produce a memory of earlier stimuli, since the response to a small hemorrhage is potentiated if the hemorrhage is preceded by 24 h by a moderate hemorrhage.
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Adrenal epinephrine (E) release after hemorrhage in anesthetized dogs is blunted by acute nephrectomy and restored by angiotensin II infusion. In the present study, we report the effect of converting enzyme inhibition by SQ 20881, a decapeptide, and of competition inhibition of angiotensin II by saralasin (1-Sar-8-Ala-Ang-II) on reflexly stimulated adrenal release of E and norepinephrine (NE) in three groups of acutely anephric dogs. Aortic catheters and adrenal vein to femoral vein Silastic shunts were placed in dogs anesthetized with pentobarbital and mechanically ventilated. ⋯ Anephric SQ 20881 (approximately 0.5 microgram/kg) recipients had delayed (60 min) augmented adrenal E and NE release after hemorrhage. In resting animals not reflexly stimulated by hypovolemia, neither drug provoked adrenal E or NE release. These results suggest an agonist effect of saralasin on reflex adrenal E release and increased responsiveness of the stimulated adrenal medulla under the influence of converting enzyme inhibition.