Effect of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) on aspirin- and ethanol-induced injury in the rat stomach.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to I T Lippe.
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Substance P- and calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivities (SP-LI and CGRP-LI, respectively) were measured in superfusates of either superior sagittal sinus and transverse sinuses and attached dura mater or dura mater alone of guinea pig. Exposure of cerebral venous sinuses to capsaicin (1 microM) evoked the release of both SP-LI and CGRP-LI, which was no longer observed upon second challenge with the drug. Neuropeptide release was induced by 80 mM K+ either at the first or second administration. Bradykinin (10 microM) increased the outflow of CGRP-LI, but not of SP-LI, from cerebral venous sinuses. In vitro capsaicin pretreatment (10 microM) or incubation with 10 microM indomethacin completely abolished the bradykinin-evoked CGRP-LI release. Capsaicin (1 microM) failed to evoke release from dura mater without major intracranial venous vessels. Sensory neuropeptide released from the cerebral venous sinuses may take part in certain symptoms, such as vasodilatation and inflammation accompanying the pain of the migraine attack. Bradykinin, putatively via prostanoid generation, may participate in this event.
Intragastric capsaicin protects against ethanol-induced gross mucosal lesion formation by stimulation of afferent nerve endings in the rat stomach. The aims of the present study were to examine histologically the protective effect of capsaicin and to test whether this effect is related to changes in mucosal eicosanoid formation and mucosal blood flow. Intragastric capsaicin (160 microM) significantly reduced gross mucosal lesion formation induced by 25% ethanol. Light microscopy revealed that the depth of erosions was attenuated likewise. However, capsaicin did not prevent ethanol from causing superficial damage to the mucosa as observed by light and scanning electron microscopy. The protective action of capsaicin against ethanol remained unchanged by a dose of indomethacin that reduced the ex vivo formation of prostaglandin E2 and 6-oxo-prostaglandin F1 alpha in the gastric mucosa by about 90%. Capsaicin alone did not affect the ex vivo formation of these prostaglandins and of leukotriene C4. Intragastric capsaicin (160 microM) enhanced gastric mucosal blood flow by 89% as measured by the hydrogen gas clearance technique. This effect was also observed when capsaicin was administered together with 25% ethanol. These data indicate that afferent nerve stimulation by intragastric capsaicin protects against deep mucosal damage in response to ethanol, an effect that seems related to an increase in mucosal blood flow but not to eicosanoid formation.
Hepatic fibrosis represents an important stage in the progression of chronic liver disease to cirrhosis. In the present paper we have investigated whether capsaicin-sensitive neuropeptide-containing sensory neurons may participate in the development of liver fibrosis. The expression of hepatic fibrosis induced by common bile duct obstruction has been studied both in capsaicin- and vehicle-treated rats. Common bile duct-induced liver fibrosis was less marked in capsaicin-treated rats than in vehicle-treated rats. Diffuse alterations of liver parenchyma structure with marked collagen deposition and nodular regeneration occurred 8 weeks after common bile duct ligation in vehicle-treated animals, while none of the capsaicin-treated rats exhibited the formation of complete connective septa altering the parenchyma architecture. Both vehicle- and capsaicin-treated rats showed an increasing number of desmin-positive cells in the perivenular zone, but the density of these cells was lower in treated animals than in untreated rats. The hydroxyproline content of the liver increased after common bile duct ligation in a time-dependent manner. Eight weeks after bile duct obstruction vehicle-treated rats showed a 7-fold increase of liver collagen content in comparison to normal animals. This enhancement was about 3.5-fold in capsaicin-treated rats. These findings raise the possibility that the peripheral release of neuropeptides stored in sensory nerves might participate in the development of liver fibrosis following common bile duct obstruction.
Intravenous administration of cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) to urethane-anesthetized rats produced both inhibitory and excitatory effects on intestinal motility. The inhibitory effect, evident as a transient relaxation or inhibition of distension-induced reflex contractions, was abolished by adrenoreceptor blockade, guanethidine pretreatment or removal of the celiac ganglion complex, but was hexamethonium-and atropine-insensitive. The excitatory action of CCK-8 was atropine- and hexamethonium-sensitive, while being unaffected by guanethidine pretreatment. Ligation experiments indicated that the excitatory effect of CCK-8 originates from a stimulant action on structures in the upper duodenum/pyloric sphincter from which a propagated contraction travels to the distal duodenum. We conclude that i.v. CCK-8 inhibits small intestinal motility by directly activating sympathetic neurons in the celiac ganglion and initiates a propagated form of intestinal motility by stimulating neural elements in the upper part of the small intestine.
We have measured the intragastric release of prostaglandin E2-like immunoreactivity (PGE2-li), pH changes and mucosal damage in response to gastric perfusion with hydrochloric or taurocholic acid at pH 1.5 in urethane-anaesthetized rats. Hydrochloric acid-perfusion caused a reversible decrease in pH values, no damage to the gastric mucosa and an intraluminal release of PGE2-li. Exposure to an ulcerogenic dose (25 mM) of taurocholic acid produced an intraluminal release of PGE2-li much higher than that of the non-ulcerogenic perfusion with hydrochloric acid. These findings indicate that intraluminal release of PGE2-li, thought to play a role as an endogenous antiulcer factor, can occur in response to a stimulus producing a significant damage of the gastric mucosa or to a mild irritant stimulus.
R 59022, a compound which causes the accumulation of diacylglycerol by inhibition of the enzyme diacylglycerol kinase, was tested for its effect on stimulated motor activity of the longitudinal muscle from the guinea-pig ileum. Motor responses to histamine were very potently inhibited by R 59022 (greater than or equal to 0.03 microM), which confirms its known activity as a histamine receptor antagonist. Contractions elicited by acetylcholine, substance P, or K+ depolarization were also concentration dependently depressed by R 59022 (1-30 microM); further analysis showed that substance P was antagonized in a non-competitive manner. R 59022 was significantly more active to block the tonic than the phasic component of the contractile response to K+ depolarization. The Ca2+-induced activation of the contractile apparatus in chemically skinned muscle strips was depressed by similar concentrations of R 59022 (3-30 microM). These data indicate that R 59022 suppresses the contractile activity of intestinal smooth muscle at an intracellular site of action but it is not yet clear whether this action can be accounted for by the accumulation of diacylglycerol and subsequent stimulation of protein kinase C.
Previous work has indicated that capsaicin-sensitive afferent neurons are involved in gastric mucosal defense mechanisms. The present study investigated whether stimulation of these neurons by intragastric administration of capsaicin would protect against aspirin-induced mucosal damage in the luminally perfused rat stomach. Capsaicin (25-640 microM), administered together with acidified (pH 1.5) aspirin (25 mM), inhibited macroscopically visible lesion formation and gastric bleeding in a concentration-dependent fashion. Capsaicin (160 microM) also attenuated the aspirin-induced fall in the gastric potential difference. An inhibitory effect of capsaicin (160 microM) on aspirin-induced gastric injury was also seen by light and scanning electron microscopy. Aspirin alone caused a vast ablation of the gastric surface epithelium, resulting in exposure of the lamina propria. In the presence of capsaicin, the depth of mucosal injury, the area totally deprived of surface epithelial cells, and the severity of surface desquamation were diminished. As capsaicin is a selective stimulant of thin afferent neurons, it would appear that these neurons participate in mechanisms of gastric defense against aspirin injury. Prevention of hemorrhagic damage seems to be the primary effect of afferent nerve-mediated gastroprotection, although injury to the surface epithelium is also reduced to some degree.
Afferent neuron-mediated gastric mucosal protection has been suggested to result from the local release of vasodilator peptides such as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) from afferent nerve endings within the stomach. The present study, therefore, examined whether rat alpha-CGRP, administered via different routes, is able to protect against mucosal injury induced by gastric perfusion with 25% ethanol or acidified aspirin (25 mM, pH 1.5) in urethane-anesthetized rats. Close arterial infusion of CGRP (15 pmol/min) to the stomach, via a catheter placed in the abdominal aorta proximal to the celiac artery, significantly reduced gross mucosal damage caused by ethanol and aspirin whereas mean arterial blood pressure (BP) was not altered. Intravenous infusion of CGRP (50 pmol/min) did not affect aspirin-induced mucosal injury but significantly enhanced ethanol-induced lesion formation. Intravenous CGRP (50 pmol/min) also lowered BP and increased the gastric clearance of [14C]aminopyrine, an indirect measure of gastric mucosal blood flow while basal gastric output of acid and bicarbonate was not altered. Intragastric administration of CGRP (260 nM) significantly inhibited aspirin-induced mucosal damage but did not influence damage in response to ethanol. BP, gastric clearance of [14C]aminopyrine, and gastric output of acid and bicarbonate remained unaltered by intragastric CGRP. These data indicate that only close arterial administration of CGRP to the rat stomach, at doses devoid of a systemic hypotensive effect, is able to protect against both ethanol- and aspirin-induced mucosal damage. As this route of administration closely resembles local release of the peptide in the stomach, CGRP may be considered as a candidate mediator of afferent nerve-induced gastric mucosal protection.
The occurrence, effects and sensitivity to capsaicin and stimulation of adenylate cyclase of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the rat kidney have been investigated. CGRP-like immunoreactivity was higher in the medulla than in the papilla and the cortex. Capsaicin pretreatment significantly reduced CGRP-like immunoreactivity in the medulla and papilla while a small reduction was found in the cortex. CGRP-immunoreactive nerve fibres were observed surrounding blood vessels and occasionally in the vicinity of renal tubules and between the collecting ducts in the papilla. Some CGRP-immunoreactive fibres were also seen in kidneys from capsaicin-pretreated rats. Infusion of capsaicin (1 microM) through the renal artery of isolated and perfused rat kidney increased the CGRP-like immunoreactivity outflow from the venous effluent. This effect exhibited desensitization at the second challenge with the drug. Infusion of either capsaicin (1 microM) or CGRP (1 microM) reduced the increase of perfusion pressure induced by norepinephrine in isolated perfused rat kidney. Plasma protein extravasation was studied in the various regions of the rat kidney following infusion of capsaicin. No significant change was observed in the medulla, papilla or cortex after capsaicin administration. Adenylate cyclase activity was studied in membrane preparations from cortex, medulla and papilla of rat kidney. Cortical and medullary adenylate cyclase was stimulated in a concentration-dependent manner by salmon calcitonin, rat calcitonin and rat CGRP. Salmon calcitonin in these two areas showed half-maximal effective concentration approximately 1000 times lower and maximal stimulation only slightly higher than those of rat calcitonin and rat CGRP. However, in the papilla, only rat CGRP was able to induce a 60% increase of enzyme activity (half-maximal effective concentration, 19 +/- 1.6 nM). It is concluded that CGRP contained in capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerve may exert a local function in discrete areas of the rat kidney.
The aim of this study was to determine the acute and delayed effect of topical application of high concentrations of capsaicin on the rat urinary bladder on micturition reflex and compare the effects of "topical" bladder desensitization with those produced by systemic (subcutaneous administration) capsaicin desensitization. On acute application, capsaicin (1-3%) produced a transient bladder contraction, not observed in capsaicin-pretreated rats. After a transient increase in excitability of the micturition reflex, topical capsaicin suppressed micturition and overflow incontinence ensued which was reverted by intravenous injection of 4-aminopyridine. Topical capsaicin also abolished reflex micturition in rats which had been systemically treated with capsaicin as adults (50 mg/kg, 7 days before) and reduced significantly the neurogenic bladder contractions produced by intravenous dimethylphenylpiperazinium or neurokinin A, while the direct (myogenic) response to neurokinin A was unaffected. In rats whose bladder was pre-exposed to 1-3% topical capsaicin (7 days before) the micturition reflex was affected in a manner which is qualitatively and quantitatively similar to that observed in rats treated with capsaicin as adults, e.g. increase in bladder capacity with no change in voiding efficiency. Topical capsaicin desensitization of the rat urinary bladder was shown to produce a selective impairment of bladder sensory nerves without any sign of desensitization in other areas of the body using both functional (hot plate, wiping, plasma extravasation) and neurochemical (determination of substance P-like immunoreactivity) assays. Systemically administered capsaicin (7 days before) had little effect on reflex micturition at 12.5 mg/kg but the change in bladder capacity produced at a dose of 25 mg/kg was comparable with that produced at 350 mg/kg. These findings provide evidence that selective desensitization of peripheral terminals of capsaicin-sensitive nerves of the rat urinary bladder inactivates their sensory and "efferent" function in a manner similar to that observed after systemic capsaicin desensitization in adult rats. The functional deficit of reflex micturition produced in this way can be overcome by increasing the stimulus to void. By contrast, neonatal capsaicin desensitization produced a long lasting abolition of reflex micturition. These data are in keeping with the hypothesis that adult versus neonatal capsaicin desensitization may be used as a tool to distinguish between two sets of sensory nerves in the rat urinary bladder.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
1. This study investigated the effects of intragastric capsaicin on acid output, clearance of aniline, potential difference, and morphology of the mucosa in the rat stomach. The experiments were carried out on rats anaesthetized with urethane in which the stomachs were continuously perfused with saline. 2. When the stomach was perfused with normal saline (pH approximately 6), intragastric capsaicin (32-640 microM) had no effect on the output of titratable acid. In contrast, when acid output was stimulated by pentagastrin or when the stomach was perfused with acid saline (pH 3), capsaicin reduced acid output. Acid loss which occurred during perfusion with saline of pH 2 was not significantly increased by capsaicin. This suggests that capsaicin does not enhance acid back-diffusion but facilitates acid elimination by other means. 3. The gastric clearance of [14C]-aniline, which is an indirect index of gastric mucosal blood flow, was estimated while the stomach was perfused with saline of pH 3. The clearance of aniline rose by 50-60% following intragastric administration of capsaicin (160 microM) whereas the mean arterial blood pressure was increased by about 2.5 mmHg only. Combined pretreatment of the rats with atropine, phentolamine, and propranolol did not alter the effect of capsaicin on the gastric clearance of aniline. 4. The gastric potential difference was not altered by capsaicin (160 microM) administered together with saline of pH 3. This and the finding that there were no signs of mucosal damage by light and scanning electron microscopy indicate that intragastric capsaicin does not irritate the gastric mucosa. 5. The effects of intragastric capsaicin on gastric acid output and aniline clearance and on blood pressure were absent in rats in which capsaicin-sensitive afferent neurones had been ablated by neonatal treatment with a neurotoxic dose of capsaicin, which indicates that they result from stimulation of afferent nerve endings in the stomach. It is concluded that facilitation of acid elimination and mucosal blood flow may contribute to the previously reported protective action of capsaicin on the gastric mucosa.
The adrenal cortex is the target of a surprisingly large number of exogenous chemicals. Until recently, the toxic action of these chemicals was discovered serendipitously. Following our observations that acrylonitrile, cysteamine or pyrazole induces hemorrhagic adrenocortical necrosis in the rat, we recently recognized a structure-activity correlation which predicts the adrenocorticolytic property of alkyl chemicals, i.e., 2-3 carbons with double or triple bonds and with nucleophilic terminal radicals (e.g., -CN, -SH, -NH2). On the basis of our results obtained with electron microscopic, histochemical and biochemical studies as well as those of others, we propose the following sequence of events in the pathogenesis of chemically induced adrenocortical necrosis: 1) Depletion of glutathione and increased dopamine concentration in the adrenals; 2) Endothelial damage and rupture of capillary walls in the adrenal cortex due to either direct attack by the chemicals (metabolites) and/or released monoamines; 3) Retrograde embolization of medullary tissue fragments into the cortical capillaries; 4) Enhanced destruction of cortical vascular walls with subsequent platelet aggregation, fibrin deposition which is often associated with a systemic drop in platelet counts, and changes in blood coagulation; 5) Escape of plasma and cellular elements of blood into extravascular spaces and damage of adrenocortical parenchymal cells; and 6) Hemorrhage and necrosis in the adrenal cortex. This pathogenetic sequence was investigated in detail with acrylonitrile, and studied in various aspects with thioguanine, cysteamine and pyrazole.
1. The effect of omega-conotoxin (CTX) GVIA, a peptide which blocks neuronal calcium channels, were investigated on nerve-mediated motor responses in a variety of isolated smooth muscle preparations from rats and guinea-pigs. 2. In the rat or guinea-pig isolated vas deferens CTX (1 nM-1 microM) produced a concentration and time-related inhibition of the response to field stimulation, while the responses to KCl, noradrenaline or adenosine triphosphate were unaffected. In the presence of CTX a series of tetrodotoxin-resistant contractions could be elicited by field stimulation by increasing pulse width and/or voltage. 3. In the rat or guinea-pig isolated urinary bladder, CTX produced a concentration and time-dependent inhibition of twitch responses to field stimulation without affecting the response to exogenous acetylcholine. In the rat bladder the maximal effect did not exceed 25% inhibition while a much larger fraction of the response (about 70%) was inhibited in the guinea-pig bladder. The CTX-resistant response was abolished, in both tissues, by tetrodotoxin. 4. The effects of CTX in the rat bladder were also studied with a whole range of frequencies of field stimulation (0.1-50 Hz). Maximal inhibition was observed toward contractions elicited at frequencies of 2-5 Hz. At low frequencies the inhibitory effects of CTX and atropine were almost additive while at high frequencies of stimulation a large component of the atropine-sensitive response was CTX-resistant. 5. In the rat isolated proximal duodenum, field stimulation in the presence of atropine and guanethidine produced a primary relaxation followed by a rebound contraction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Ablation of capsaicin-sensitive afferent neurons enhances experimentally induced ulceration in the rat gastric mucosa, which suggests that these neurons are involved in gastric mucosal protection. To provide direct evidence for such a function it was investigated whether stimulation of afferent nerve endings by the intragastric administration of capsaicin could counteract the ulcerogenic effect of 25% ethanol. Capsaicin (3.2-640 microM), administered together with ethanol, inhibited the development of haemorrhagic lesions in a concentration-dependent fashion but did not alter the ethanol-induced fall in the gastric potential difference. This suggests that capsaicin does not prevent ethanol from damaging gastric epithelial cells but can counteract the vascular lesions caused by ethanol. The anti-lesion effect of intragastric capsaicin was absent in adult rats which had been treated with a high dose of systemic capsaicin as neonates in order to achieve a permanent degeneration of unmyelinated afferent neurons. It would appear, therefore, that intragastric capsaicin reduces lesion formation by an action on afferent neurons. The protective effect of intragastric capsaicin was not altered following acute subdiaphragmatic vagotomy, acute removal of the coeliac-superior mesenteric ganglion complex, acute bilateral ligation of the adrenal glands, or pretreatment of the rats with atropine or guanethidine. These findings indicate that stimulation of afferent neurons by intragastric capsaicin affords protection of the rat gastric mucosa against ethanol-induced damage. As the autonomic nervous system is not involved gastroprotection appears to represent a local effector function of sensory nerve endings in the stomach.
The effect of the tachykinin antagonist, [D-Pro4, D-Trp7,9,10] substance P-(4-11), on inositol phosphate accumulation produced by tachykinins and by histamine in strips of longitudinal muscle from the guinea-pig small intestine was investigated in the presence of 12 mM Li+. The two tachykinins substance P (SP) and kassinin (20 nM-20 microM) caused an accumulation of inositol phosphates in a concentration-dependent manner. This was seen with an agonist contact time of only 30 s. SP and kassinin were roughly equipotent in inducing inositol phosphate accumulation, which is consistent with their relative potencies in causing muscle contraction. The tachykinin antagonist (20 microM) produced a shift to the right of the dose-response curves for inositol phosphate accumulation caused by SP and kassinin. However, the effect of kassinin was inhibited much more than that of SP, which is consistent with a similar differential antagonism of the contractions induced by these agonists. The tachykinin antagonist also depressed histamine-induced accumulation of inositol phosphates whereas histamine-induced contractions had previously been found unaffected by the antagonist. These findings show that the tachykinin antagonist is not totally selective with regard to agonist-induced accumulation of inositol phosphates in intestinal smooth muscle. This may suggest that the antagonist not only acts on tachykinin receptors but also has another site of cellular action.
The effect of neuropeptide Y on the motor activity of the circular and longitudinal muscle of the guinea pig small intestine was investigated. Neuropeptide Y (0.3-30 nM) inhibited, in a concentration-dependent manner, the ascending enteric reflex contraction of the circular muscle; both the cholinergic and noncholinergic component of the ascending enteric reflex were suppressed. Neuropeptide Y also blocked nerve-mediated phasic contractions of the circular muscle, induced by dimethylphenylpiperazinium or ceruletide, and abolished the peristaltic movements of the small intestine. Nerve-mediated cholinergic and noncholinergic contractions of the longitudinal muscle, induced by electrical field stimulation, were only slightly depressed by neuropeptide Y. Further analysis showed that neuropeptide Y did not act directly on intestinal muscle but interrupted excitatory pathways of the enteric nervous system. The effect of neuropeptide Y did not involve activation of alpha-adrenoceptors, opioid receptors, or P1 purinoceptors or the release of endogenous factors stimulating these receptors. These findings suggest a possible physiologic role of neuropeptide Y as a nonnoradrenergic inhibitory transmitter involved in the enteric nervous control of intestinal circular muscle activity.