Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P01178 (oxytocin)
 15,767 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In addition to corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and structurally related peptides, arginine vasopressin (AVP), oxytocin, angiotensin II, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, peptide histidine isoleucinamide, epinephrine (E), and norepinephrine induce secretion of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) from corticotropic cells in vitro. The apparent affinity and intrinsic ACTH-releasing activity of these substances are lower than those of CRF. These substances can also act synergistically with CRF. In this paper the role of catecholamines and AVP in the control of ACTH release is discussed. Infusion i.v. of E increases plasma ACTH and corticosterone to levels that are normally found during stress. E-induced stimulation of pituitary-adrenal activity is mediated by beta adrenoceptors and involves release of CRF, because it can be prevented by beta-adrenoceptor blockers and by destruction of CRF neurons (hypothalamic lesions), blockade of CRF release (chlorpromazine, morphine, and Nembutal), or administration of CRF antiserum. Although stress can cause a vast increase in plasma E, circulating E is not essential for the acute stress-induced release of ACTH because blockade of beta (or alpha) adrenoceptors, administration of chlorisondamine, or extirpation of the adrenal medulla and sympathectomy do not prevent the pituitary-adrenal response to stress. In contrast, circulating E plays a major role in the release of intermediate-lobe peptides during emotional stress. Studies of the role of AVP in pituitary-adrenal control by the use of pressor receptor (V1) antagonists are not valuable because of the ineffectiveness of such antagonists in blocking AVP-induced release of ACTH from corticotropic cells in vitro. Treatment of rats with an antiserum to AVP reduces the ACTH response to stress. We conclude that AVP has an important role in stress-induced activation of the pituitary-adrenal system, possibly by potentiating the effects of CRF.
 ...
PMID:Role of epinephrine and vasopressin in the control of the pituitary-adrenal response to stress. 298 37

In freely moving rats, ovine corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and rat CRF, which are equipotent in stimulating adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) release, can exert this effect after either i.v. or intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration. Oxytocin and epinephrine also elevate plasma ACTH levels, an effect that is abolished by immunoneutralization of endogenous CRF. Inasmuch as oxytocin and epinephrine show additivity with CRF, these results suggest that these two secretagogues stimulate ACTH secretion in vivo by interacting with endogenous CRF. Apart from its effect on ACTH release, CRF injected i.c.v. markedly inhibits luteinizing hormone (LH), but not follicle-stimulating hormone, secretion in rats in the absence of circulating levels of steroids. A similar effect is observed after i.c.v. administration of sauvagine, a peptide analogous to CRF, whereas arginine vasopressin exhibits lower potency and shorter duration of action than CRF. Because these peptides do not modify LH release by cultured pituitary cells, they probably lower plasma LH levels through centrally mediated mechanisms. These results indicate that CRF can exert a broad spectrum of action to regulate pituitary function directly or indirectly.
 ...
PMID:Effects of corticotropin-releasing factor, neurohypophyseal peptides, and catecholamines on pituitary function. 298 40

Among the putative hypothalamic hormones that can influence the release of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) in vitro, the 41-amino-acid corticotropin-releasing factor, oxytocin, vasopressin, and epinephrine were identified in hypophyseal portal plasma. Measurement of these substances in several situations associated with changes in ACTH secretion provided data consistent with a physiological role for all four hormones and suggested that control of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal-adrenal axis can be accomplished in different ways in response to different types of stimuli.
 ...
PMID:Measurement of hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factors in hypophyseal portal blood. 298 42

The hypophysiotropic coding of ACTH secretion resulting from insulin-induced hypoglycemia was investigated in urethane-anesthetized fasted rats. The participation of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), arginine vasopressin (AVP), and catecholamines in the ACTH response was first investigated by systemic administration of CRF antiserum, an AVP pressor antagonist, or a ganglionic blocking agent. These treatments were without effect on the hypoglycemic response, which was characterized by a 67% fall in systemic glucose levels within 30 min of insulin administration. ACTH secretion in response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia was differentially affected by these pharmacological treatments. Administration of antiserum to CRF abolished the ACTH response, whereas ganglionic blockade was without significant effect. However, administration of a vasopressinergic pressor antagonist significantly attenuated ACTH secretion after insulin treatment. These observations suggested the participation of both CRF and AVP in mediation of the ACTH secretory response to hypoglycemia. Infusion of glucose to counter the hypoglycemia action of insulin injection prevented the ACTH secretory response. Measurement of immunoreactive (ir) CRF, irAVP, and ir-oxytocin in sequential collections of hypophysial portal plasma revealed a significant elevation of irAVP concentration without concomitant elevation of irCRF or ir-oxytocin levels. We propose that CRF functions in a permissive role, maintaining a relatively constant portal concentration and thereby allowing expression of the weaker ACTH-releasing activity of AVP and other secretagogues. Thus, AVP, not CRF, appears to represent the dynamic mediator of ACTH secretion accompanying insulin-induced hypoglycemia. These observations provide additional support for the hypothesis of multifactor stimulus-specific hypophysiotropic coding of ACTH secretion.
 ...
PMID:Hypophysiotropic regulation of adrenocorticotropin secretion in response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia. 298 21

The distribution of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OXY) containing neurons within the magnocellular and parvocellular divisions in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of rat hypothalamus is described in brains from normal untreated, colchicine treated and adrenalectomized animals. Double immunostained preparations using glucose oxidase-antiglucose oxidase (GAG) complex combined with PAP complex to visualize two antigens with contrasting colors in the same tissue sections were employed. Separate and distinct populations of cells containing the immunoreactive (ir) elements were seen. Immunostained CRF neurons present in the ventral medial portion of the posterior magnocellular division were juxtaposed to oxytocin-ir perikarya in colchicine treated and adrenalectomized animals. CRF-ir cells were for the most part concentrated in the medial parvocellular component of PVN. An intimate anatomical proximity between CRF-ir and VP-ir perikarya was evident in this medial parvocellular division in brains of adrenalectomized animals; this area is normally VP-ir poor except in the adrenalectomized rats. This extension of VP-ir cells into this CRF rich region and the very close approximation between the two cell bodies suggests potential cell to cell communication following perturbation of the brain-pituitary-adrenal axis. No evidence for the co-existence of two peptidergic systems in the same neuron was apparent in the present study.
 ...
PMID:Relationship of CRF-immunostained cells and magnocellular neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of rat hypothalamus. 300 67

Neuropeptides and biogenic amines known to be present in neurons or afferent terminals in the paraventricular nucleus (PVH), supraoptic nucleus (SON) and/or lateral hypothalamus (LH) were added to small areas of these structures obtained by micropuncture and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels were measured. cAMP accumulation occurred in PVH, SON and LH in response to neuropeptides of the secretin family, such as vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and in response to catecholamines. Bradykinin, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating (alpha-MSH), luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH), oxytocin and carbamylcholine stimulated cAMP accumulation selectively in one or two of the above structures. Glucagon, cholecystokinin (CCK), somatostatin (SRIF), corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), methionine enkephalin (Met-Enk), beta-endorphin, neurotensin, bombesin and angiotensin II did not effect cAMP levels while leucine enkephalin (Leu-Enk), arginine vasopressin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) elicited regionally selective decreases in basal levels of cAMP. When interactions between some of these compounds were measured, VIP and norepinephrine exerted a more than additive effect on cAMP elevation in the PVH, while the effect on cAMP of the SON and LH was additive.
 ...
PMID:Interaction of neuropeptides and biogenic amines on cyclic adenosine monophosphate accumulation in hypothalamic nuclei. 300 57

Synthetic human corticotropin-releasing factor (hCRF) stimulated ACTH secretion by human fetal pituitaries in superfusion and dispersed human fetal pituitary cells cultured on an extracellular matrix in static incubation from 14 to 23 wk gestational age. The action of hCRF in vitro was potentiated by arginine vasopressin (AVP) at all ages studied. 8-Br-cAMP induced a response similar to hCRF. The AVP effect on ACTH was synergistic with both CRF and 8-Br-cAMP. hCRF-mediated secretion of ACTH was noncompetitively inhibited by 24-h pretreatment, or by 3-h concomitant treatment, with dexamethasone. Neither oxytocin, catecholamines, prostaglandins, nor indomethacin exerted significant effects on ACTH secretion, either alone or in combination with hCRF or AVP during the gestational ages studied. These results support a physiologic role for CRF in the regulation of secretion by corticotropic cells as early as 14 wk gestation, by which time corticotropes and ability to secrete ACTH have been demonstrated.
 ...
PMID:Hypophysiotropic and neuromodulatory regulation of adrenocorticotropin in the human fetal pituitary gland. 301 39

Nitroprusside-induced hypotension evokes ACTH secretion which is primarily mediated by enhanced secretion of immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor (irCRF) into the hypophysial-portal circulation. Portal plasma concentrations of neither arginine vasopressin nor oxytocin are significantly altered in this paradigm. Application of a delayed feedback signal, in the form of a 2-h systemic corticosterone infusion in urethane-anesthetized rats with pharmacological blockade of glucocorticoid synthesis, is without effect on the resting secretion of arginine vasopressin and oxytocin at any corticosterone feedback dose tested. Resting irCRF levels are suppressed only at the highest corticosterone infusion rate, which resulted in systemic corticosterone levels of 40 micrograms/dl. Suppression of irCRF secretion in response to nitroprusside-induced hypotension is observed and occurs at a plasma corticosterone level between 8-12 micrograms/dl. These studies provide further evidence for a strong central component of the delayed feedback process which is mediated by modulation of irCRF release.
 ...
PMID:Inhibition of immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor secretion into the hypophysial-portal circulation by delayed glucocorticoid feedback. 301 67

ACTH secretion is primarily controlled by hypothalamic secretion of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) into pituitary portal blood. However arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) can modulate the actions of CRF and at times may be important mediators of stress-induced ACTH secretion. The relative contributions of CRF, AVP, and OT to the control of ACTH secretion vary with different types of stress. In general, AVP stimulates ACTH secretion in all species studied. OT also stimulates ACTH release in rats but is inhibitory in primates. The involvement of AVP and OT in the control of ACTH secretion may have important implications for physiological and pathological conditions associated with activation of the hypothalamo--hypophysial--adrenal cortical axis.
 ...
PMID:Vasopressin and oxytocin: hypothalamic modulators of the stress response: a review. 301 20

Neurophysins have been recognized as the carrier proteins of vasopressin and oxytocin. The distribution of neurophysins is immunohistochemically confirmed in the hypothalamus, median eminence, and posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. The authors detected neurophysins in the human corticotrophs and pituitary adenomas with the use of the immunohistochemical method with antiserum to human neurophysins, which did not cross-react with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), beta-endorphin, and corticotropin-releasing factor. All of ten pituitary glands obtained by autopsy revealed the presence of neurophysin-positive cells in the anterior, intermediate, and the posterior lobes. The neurophysin-positive cells were similar to the corticotrophs in shape and distribution. Simultaneous staining for ACTH and neurophysins in the serial sections revealed that neurophysin-positive cells were also ACTH-positive. One hundred twenty-four cases of pituitary adenoma operated upon were investigated. All of 7 Cushing's adenomas were composed of neurophysin-positive cells. Six tumors with giantism showed sparsely distributed neurophysin-positive cells. No neurophysin-positive cells were observed in any other cases. This study is the first reported evidence of the presence of neurophysins in the human corticotrophs and pituitary adenomas.
 ...
PMID:Presence of neurophysins in the human pituitary corticotrophs, Cushing's adenomas, and growth hormone-producing adenomas detected by immunohistochemical study. 302 92


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>