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Biomedical subjects

J C Eldridge

Publications and source records attributed to J C Eldridge.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Cannabinoids and the hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor: recent findings and possible significance.

It has long been recognized that cannabinoids, including delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive substance of marijuana, bear structural similarities to steroid hormones. The hippocampal region of the brain is particularly rich in glucocorticoid receptors (GCRs), and the region also displays dense autoradiographic binding by synthetic cannabinoids. The present report summarizes studies conducted on cannabinoid interaction with hippocampal GCRs, both in vivo and in vitro. Young rats treated for 8 months with THC displayed anatomic and cellular changes in the hippocampus similar to those seen in older, untreated rats, or in rats treated with high levels of glucocorticoids. Binding of [3H]dexamethasone in cytosol prepared from adrenalectomized rat hippocampus was reduced in the presence of 100-fold molar excess of unlabeled THC. However, further increases of THC concentration, to 20,000-fold excess, could displace no more than 50% of radiolabeled dexamethasone. Scatchard analysis of the binding produced a parallel competition plot for THC, versus the plot for dexamethasone, which may reflect a noncompetitive or allosteric interaction with hippocampal GCR. Cannabidiol, a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid, displayed less competition than THC in all parameters. Treatment of adrenalectomized rats for 14 days with 10 mg/kg THC produced down-regulation of hippocampal GCR binding in a manner also reported following high glucocorticoid administration. Although an initial oral administration of THC to intact rats stimulated release of plasma corticosterone, daily repetition of treatment for 7 and 14 days failed to elicit further corticosterone secretion. Taken together, the results indicate that THC may possess some agonist-like properties of glucocorticoids at the hippocampal GCR site.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure on adrenal medullary function: evidence of an acute effect and development of tolerance in chronic treatments.

Previous studies have shown that the secretion of several stress-related hormones can be altered by exposure to marihuana or its purified constituents. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in adrenal medullary function caused by acute, subchronic and chronic treatments with two different doses of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Acute exposure to THC caused a significant decrease in the adrenal medulla contents of both norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) and a significant increase in the E/NE ratio. These effects were mainly observed with the highest dose of THC, but they were not accompanied by a statistically significant decrease in adrenal medulla tyrosine hydroxylase activity, the rate-limiting enzyme in the catecholamine (CA) synthesis. These effects disappeared after seven or fourteen days of a daily THC treatment, which suggests the development of tolerance to this drug. Analysis of plasma PRL, ACTH and corticosterone levels showed some THC-related changes in these hormones. THC-induced modifications in ACTH and corticosterone were not in parallel to the changes in the adrenal medulla function, whereas those effects of acute THC on PRL release were statistically correlated with decreases of CA contents following acute THC. In conclusion, acute exposure to THC caused an alteration in the adrenal medullary function, reflected by a fall in endogenous stores of both CAs which could influence the adrenal medullary response to stress situations. This acute effect of THC could be mediated by the pituitary secretion of PRL, although the possibility of an effect directly exerted on the adrenal medulla chromaffin cells should be also considered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenal Medulla↗
PubMed1991

Problems with substantial limb lengthening.

Limb lengthening takes careful planning and meticulous outpatient care and still is burdened by minor complications. Experience may lessen major complications, but pin tract problems, swelling, and pain will plague these patients. A large group of patients can benefit from lengthening procedures, and new techniques are improving the risk-benefit balance. A thoughtful approach is needed by the surgeon, especially taking time to fully inform the patient about the time, effort, and problems involved in substantial limb lengthening.

Bone Lengthening↗
PubMed1990

Cannabinoid interactions with glucocorticoid receptors in rat hippocampus.

Previous studies have found that chronic administration of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive cannabinoid, can induce brain aging-like degenerative changes in hippocampal structures (e.g., pyramidal cell loss, glial reactivity). Normal aging changes in the hippocampus appear to be partly corticosteroid-dependent. Because THC is similar in molecular structure to corticosteroids (CORT), therefore, we have suggested that THC may act to induce pathology in the hippocampus through CORT receptors. The possibility of THC interactions with CORT receptors was tested more directly in the present studies. Binding of [3H]dexamethasone (DEX) to hippocampal cytosol, in vitro, was inhibited partially, but not completely, by 100-fold excess unlabeled THC and cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid. Even at 10,000-fold molar excess, moreover, THC could displace only 50% of radiolabeled DEX binding and CBD could inhibit only 22% of tracer binding. Scatchard plot analyses also pointed to a possible non-competitive site for cannabinoid interaction with glucocorticoid receptors. In addition, several studies utilizing the synthetic steroid RU-28362 indicated that THC interacts primarily with the type II class of glucocorticoid receptors. In a separate study, adrenalectomized rats were treated daily for 14 days with 5-10 mg/kg THC or vehicle, and examined 24 h later for [3H]CORT binding in hippocampal cytosol. In THC-treated animals, the Bmax for type II binding was reduced to a degree almost comparable to the down-regulation seen after chronic stress or high corticosteroid administration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Androstanols↗
PubMed1990

Amputation stump lengthening with the Ilizarov technique. A case report.

It is often difficult to create a functional stump from a traumatic amputation, especially in a child. A case is described of a traumatic, high, below-knee amputation in a five-year-old child. The resulting stump was too short to allow a conventional below-knee prosthesis, decreasing gait efficiency. The Ilizarov technique was used to increase tibial length. Bony lengthening was very successful, but several problems were encountered with the soft-tissue reconstruction. This technique of stump reconstruction holds promise only if the soft-tissue problems are anticipated. The suggestions for future stump-lengthening procedures are preparatory plastic surgery for skin requirements including infection prevention measures.

Amputation Stumps↗
PubMed1989

Impaired up-regulation of type II corticosteroid receptors in hippocampus of aged rats.

Several recent investigations have reported a decline of rat hippocampal corticosteroid-binding receptors (CSRs) with aging. This decline has been proposed to be an initial cause (through disinhibition) of the elevated adrenal steroid secretion that apparently occurs with aging; however, it could instead be an effect of corticoid elevation (through down-regulation). In order to assess the effects of age on CSR biosynthetic capacity in the absence of down-regulatory influences of endogenous corticoids, as well as to study aging changes in CSR plasticity, we examined the up-regulation of hippocampal CSR that follows adrenalectomy (ADX). The rat hippocampus contains at least two types of CSR binding and differential analysis of types I and II CSR was accomplished by selective displacement of [3H]corticosterone with RU-28362, a specific type II agonist. In young (3 months old) Fischer-344 rat hippocampus, up-regulation of type II binding above 2-day ADX baseline was present by 3-7 days and increased still further by 8-10 days post-ADX; type I CSR density did not change significantly between 1 and 10 days post-ADX. However, in aged (24-26 months old) rats, type II CSR up-regulation did not occur over the 10 day post-ADX period. Thus, the age-related impairment of type II up-regulation may reflect an intrinsic deficit in CSR biosynthesis or lability that is independent of the acute endogenous adrenal steroid environment.

Adrenalectomy↗
PubMed1989

Increased affinity of type II corticosteroid binding in aged rat hippocampus.

Hippocampal tissue from young-mature (3-4 months old) and aged (24-26 months old) Fischer-344 rats was assessed for type I and type II corticosteroid binding in cytosol, using [3H]dexamethasone and selective inhibition of type II sites with nonradioactive RU-28362. Twenty-four hours after adrenalectomy, the Bmax and Kd of the receptor subtypes were measured by Scatchard analysis for individual animals. The binding capacity of each receptor type was significantly reduced in aged rats, as others have reported. In addition, however, the dissociation constant (Kd), was significantly reduced for type II receptor (young Kd = 2.14 nM vs aged Kd = 0.89 nM, P less than 0.005), indicating greater affinity of type II sites with aging. Affinity of type I sites was unchanged. The observation of increased type II affinity could help to explain the apparent paradox of why corticosteroid-dependent degenerative changes in hippocampal cells seem to accelerate in the later stages of aging, even though brain corticosteroid receptor capacity has been reported to decline or remain unchanged with aging.

Adrenalectomy↗
PubMed1989

Intracerebroventricular administration of calcitonin enhances glucose-stimulated release of insulin.

Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of salmon calcitonin (500 ng) augmented glucose-stimulated release of insulin in rats. Vagotomy increased this enhancement effect of i.c.v. calcitonin significantly, whereas peripheral atropine treatment did not change it. Adrenal catecholamines did not participate in the centrally mediated insulinotropic effect of calcitonin since acute adrenalectomy did not modify the enhancement effect of i.c.v. calcitonin. Destruction of the sympathetic ganglia by neonatal treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine abolished the enhancement effect of i.c.v. calcitonin, which suggests that the sympathetic nervous system participates in the central action of calcitonin to enhance glucose-stimulated release of insulin.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

ACTH-induced hypertension in rats: fact or artifact?

Evidence from numerous laboratories has shown that administration of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) to rats produces hypertension within 5 days. However, the analysis of blood pressure in these studies was by the tail-cuff technique, an acute and indirect approach. We have now administered ACTH, via a subcutaneous depot injection (5 or 10 U/day for 9 days), to chronically instrumented rats maintained in metabolic cages. Although tail-cuff measurements of arterial pressure indicated that the ACTH treatment produced hypertension, this was not confirmed by direct 24-h measurements of mean arterial pressure. There was no effect of ACTH on 24-h heart rate throughout the treatment period compared with saline-injected controls. We also examined coefficient of variation of all our measurements. None of the factors was altered by ACTH administration. However, ACTH treatment did produce a diuretic effect, further confirming previous work and providing renal, in addition to cardiovascular, evidence for the bioavailability of the ACTH depot. These results demonstrate that chronic ACTH treatment does not produce a true hypertensive state in rats but rather may enhance the cardiovascular response to the stress of the indirect arterial pressure measurement technique.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1989

Apparent age-related resistance of type II hippocampal corticosteroid receptors to down-regulation during chronic escape training.

Corticosteroids appear to modulate neuronal loss in the hippocampus during aging. However, there is a seeming paradox in the literature in that age-related neuronal loss develops more prominently during the later phases of the lifespan, whereas brain corticosterone receptors have been reported to decline with aging, an effect that might be anticipated to reduce the impact of corticosteroids on cell loss. In order to study the regulatory sensitivity of hippocampal corticosteroid receptors (HCSR) during aging, which could play a role in this apparent paradox, rats of 3 ages (4, 12, and 18 months old at the start of training) were given 6 months of chronic escape training using a mild footshock in a 2-way shuttle-escape task (4 hr/d, 5 d/week). Animals were killed either 1 d or 3 weeks following the 6 month training paradigm. Nontrained home cage controls also were maintained in parallel with each age group. Although previous studies have measured receptors in rats adrenalectomized 12 hr or more prior to death, rats intact at death were used in the present studies to avoid possible confounding effects from age differences in receptor up-regulation or response to surgery. Receptor capacity was analyzed with a saturation assay able to measure available type II HCSR in intact rats. Results showed that, in intact young-mature rats (10 months old at death), type II HCSR were down-regulated at 1 d, but not at 3 weeks, after the end of the 6 months of training. However, significant decreases in HCSR were not observed in late mid-aged (18-month-old) or aged (24-month-old) rats at the 1 d point, indicating apparent resistance to down-regulatory stimuli.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aging↗
PubMed1987

Diminished diurnal secretion of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), but not corticosterone, in old male rats: possible relation to increased adrenal sensitivity to ACTH in vivo.

The diurnal secretion of ACTH and corticosterone was examined in chronically cannulated young (3-4 months old), middle-aged (10-12 months old), and old (22-24 months old) Fischer 344 male rats. Plasma corticosterone in young rats increased from baseline concentrations of 78 +/- 5 to a maximum of 171 +/- 24 ng/ml at 1730 h and declined to basal levels by 1930 h. Middle-aged and old rats demonstrated a similar magnitude and time course of corticosterone release. However, comparison of the relative concentrations of ACTH released during the diurnal surge revealed that old rats secreted 35% less ACTH than young or middle-aged animals (P less than 0.05). Age-related changes in the sensitivity of the adrenal gland to a submaximal dose of ACTH were tested in dexamethasone-pretreated animals at 1100 and 1700 h in a separate experiment. Plasma corticosterone levels were significantly greater after ACTH administration (1 mIU/kg ACTHAR, iv) at 1700 h in both young and old rats compared to 1100 h values (P less than 0.05), and levels 20 min post-ACTH injection at 1700 h were significantly greater in old than young or middle-aged rats at the same time (P less than 0.05). These results demonstrate that 1) there are no age-related changes in the diurnal secretion of corticosterone in Fischer 344 male rats; 2) there is a decline in the peak level of ACTH during the diurnal surge of old compared to young animals; and 3) adrenal sensitivity to ACTH at 1700 h is greater in old compared to young or middle-aged rats. We hypothesize that the greater increase in adrenal sensitivity to ACTH is responsible for the maintenance of the corticosterone rhythm in the presence of diminished ACTH concentrations in older rats.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1986

Correlation between LH and estrogen receptor turnover in pituitary and hypothalamus of castrate rats following estrogen agonists and antagonists.

A series of studies was undertaken to correlate the short-term dynamics of LH secretion and depletion-replenishment patterns of estrogen receptors (ER) in hypothalamic and pituitary cytosols of ovariectomized rats. Animals castrated for 2 weeks were administered various test compounds and analyzed at 1, 3, 5, 10 and 15 h post-treatment. A single injection of 10 micrograms 17 beta-estradiol (E2) to ovariectomized rats elicited a rapid depletion of ER in both pituitary and hypothalamus and a dramatic, though delayed, fall in serum LH. ER replenishment occurred in both tissues through 15 h and LH recovered in a similar manner. When cycloheximide was administered along with E2, ER replenishment was completely inhibited in both tissues; serum LH fell and failed to recover. Actinomycin D injected with E2 blocked replenishment in pituitary but not hypothalamus; serum LH recovered in parallel with the hypothalamic ER pattern. 17 alpha-E2 elicited only slight changes in ER and LH was suppressed 10-20% through 15 h. CI-628 caused a near total depletion of pituitary ER with no subsequent replenishment, whereas hypothalamic ER content was virtually unaltered; serum LH was suppressed and later recovered. Orchidectomized rats given 5 micrograms E2 demonstrated a less complete ER depletion in hypothalamus, and an earlier replenishment than that seen in pituitary or hypothalamus of similarly treated ovariectomized females. Serum LH rebounded to 157% of control levels at 15 h. The results indicate that the acute feedback suppression of LH by exposure to estrogens correlates with binding to ER and nuclear translocation. Replenishment and/or retention of cytoplasmic ER in hypothalamus appears to be required for full resumption of LH secretion, following acute suppression.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Endocrinologic effects of antihypertensive therapy with guanabenz or hydrochlorothiazide.

The effect of antihypertensive therapy with guanabenz or hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) on the secretion of growth hormone, prolactin, insulin, and glucagon was evaluated in double-blind fashion in 45 patients. Fifteen patients were treated with HCTZ, 50 mg twice daily, and 30 patients were treated with twice-daily dosages of guanabenz ranging from 4 to 32 mg. Blood samples for hormone analysis were collected during maintenance therapy when blood pressure was controlled as well as 1 week after the withdrawal of the antihypertensive medications. Serum levels of growth hormone and prolactin were within the normal ranges and were unchanged during treatment with HCTZ or guanabenz at any dose level. Interpatient variability in insulin levels was high, although within-subject insulin levels generally were consistent. No treatment effects were seen for insulin levels among guanabenz- or HCTZ-treated patients. Glucagon levels generally were above the expected range for fasting patients and were lower in patients receiving 4 or 8 mg of guanabenz twice daily than in those receiving 16 mg twice daily (p less than 0.05) and in those treated with HCTZ (p less than 0.01). However, analysis of paired data revealed no changes in glucagon levels upon withdrawal of guanabenz, whereas glucagon levels were higher during HCTZ treatment than after drug withdrawal (p = 0.012). Since guanabenz treatment did not affect the secretion of pancreatic or pituitary hormones, it may be preferable to other centrally acting agents and thiazide diuretics for hypertensive patients who are elderly, overweight, or diabetic.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Prolactin stimulates and potentiates adrenal steroid secretion in vitro.

Prolactin, alone and in combination with ACTH, was tested for its ability to release steroids from rat adrenocortical slices superfused in vitro. The hormone possessed weak activity alone (minimal responsive dose = 1 U), but was able to potentiate the ACTH-stimulated corticoid release at much lower doses (significant response over ACTH alone at 0.01 U prolactin). This latter dosage was calculated to be within the physiologic range of prolactin in blood. Analysis of individual steroids in superfusate by RIA revealed that aldosterone release was most sensitive to prolactin, followed by corticosterone, androstenedione, and progesterone. We conclude that prolactin is an adrenocortical secretagogue of physiological relevance in the rat, and that it could play a role in enhancing the action of ACTH to acutely release steroids.

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMed1983

Naloxone potentiates ACTH and angiotension II but not potassium stimulated aldosterone secretion, in vitro.

The effects of naloxone on basal and ACTH, Angiotensin II (AII) and [K+] o stimulated aldosterone secretion from superfused rat adrenocortical tissue were investigated. A high dose (10(-6) M) of naloxone inhibited while a smaller dose (10(-10) M) potentiated and doses of 10(-8) or 10(-12) M naloxone were without an effect on ACTH stimulated aldosterone secretion. A potentiation of AII stimulated aldosterone secretion was observed beginning 2 hrs after 10(-6) or 10(-10) M naloxone was administered while no effect was observed with 10(-4) M naloxone. No effects of 10(-6), 10(-8), 10(-12) M naloxone were detected on aldosterone secretion stimulated by transiently elevating extracellular potassium. Naloxone from 10(-4) to 10(-12) M did not appear to significantly influence basal steroidogenic activity under these conditions. These findings demonstrate that the "opioid antagonist" naloxone has prominent actions on adrenocortical tissue. Both the specificity and lack of specificity of the action of this agent to influence the activity of the 3 secretagogues suggest that naloxone and possibly a naturally occurring endogenous ligand interacts with one or more membrane receptor distinct from the ACTH receptor. A naturally occurring ligand for this receptor could play a prominent role in the physiological regulation of adrenal steroid secretion.

Adrenal Cortex↗