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Query: UNIPROT:P01189 (beta-endorphin)
 21,003 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The bibliography concerning the interaction of the thymus with other endocrines is summarized. The thymus, the lymph nodes and the spleen of Sprague-Dawley rats were extracted with the method of Bezssonoff and Comsa and the extracts fractionated with the method of Bernardi and Comsa. The animals were (1) normal, (2) adrenalectomized, (3) adrenalectomized and substituted with one or several corticosteroids, (4) adrenalectomized and thymectomized, (5) thyroidectomized, (6) thyroidectomized and substituted with thyroxine, (7 and 8) castrated (males or females), (9 and 10) castrates substituted with sexual hormones, (11) castrated and adrenalectomized, (12) castrated and thyroidectomized, (13) castrated, adrenalectomized and thyroidectomized, (14) hypophysectomized, and (15) hypophysectomized and substituted with one hypophyseal hormone. In the Bernardi-Comsa preparations hormone was determined by UV-spectrophotometry. Adrenalectomy resulted in a significant decrease of the hormone content of the thymus (which was still more attenuated by cortisol) and its increase in the lymph nodes and the spleen. Corticosterone and desoxycorticosterone increased the hormone content in all three tissues, whilst aldosterone increased it in the thymus and decreased it in the lymph nodes and the spleen. Thyroidectomy resulted in a significant decrease of the hormone in the thymus and its quasi-disappearance from the lymph nodes and the spleen. This was prevented by thyroxine therapy. Castration resulted in an increase of the hormone content in all three tissues. This was prevented by sexual hormone therapy. Hypophysectomy resulted in decrease of the hormone content in all three tissues. This was prevented by injections with growth hormone, corticotropin and thyrotrophin. These results were compared with those of histological examinations of thymus, lymph nodes and spleen in the corresponding experimental groups. The consistency was found satisfactory.
Thymus 1979 Sep
PMID:Hormonal influences on the secretion of the thymus. 57 3

The effect of tactivin, a thymic hormonal factor, (MW 1-6 KD), on the adrenal glucocorticoid function in mice was studied. Tactivin (0.1-2 micrograms/mouse i.p.) produced a slight decrease in plasma corticosterone. The decrease was much more pronounced when tactivin was administered to mice with a high basal level of the hormone. The tactivin supplement had a significant suppressive effect on corticosterone production in both the whole adrenals and the intact isolated adrenal cells. When added at the doses of 0.00064-2 micrograms/ml to the isolated adrenal cells in the presence of ACTH, tactivin abolished the stimulatory effect of corticotropin on corticosterone production. The abolition was complete at a low dose (1.6 microIU/ml) and incomplete, yet significant, at a high dose of ACTH (1600 microIU/ml). The in vitro data are in a good agreement with those obtained in the in vivo experiments. The stimulatory effect of a synthetic analog of cAMP-Dibutyryl-cAMP on the steroidogenesis of adrenal cells was as pronounced as that of ACTH. Nevertheless, tactivin exerted no influence on Bu2-cAMP stimulation. The results indicate that tactivin prevents ACTH from acting on steroidogenesis at some time point preceding the formation of secondary messengers.
Thymus 1992 Mar
PMID:The thymic factor tactivin prevents ACTH from stimulating steroidogenesis by mouse adrenal cells. 131 98

The effects of glucocorticoid (GC) treatment on the mature immune and neuroendocrine system are known to be reversible. However, prenatal GC exposure may have irreversible consequences on the development of the newborn. In this study, possible long-lasting effects of short-term prenatal GC treatment were examined on the developing thymus, spleen and hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis (HPA axis). Female rats were given dexamethasone (DEX, 400 micrograms, i.p.) on day 17 and 19 of pregnancy and offspring was studied at several time intervals (1-20 days) after birth, for examination of thymus, spleen, hypothalamus and blood plasma. Examination of thymus and spleen revealed that prenatal exposure to DEX resulted in decreased T cell numbers in thymus and spleen on day 1 after birth. Thymus regeneration after DEX exposure both during pregnancy and in adult life was completed after 24 days. However, the kinetics of regeneration of the thymi after prenatal DEX exposure were different from that seen after DEX in adult life. Whereas DEX treatment during pregnancy resulted in an increased ratio of CD4+/CD8- thymocytes over CD4-/CD8+ thymocytes compared to control groups on day 7 and day 20 after birth (time X treatment interaction; P < 0.05), DEX treatment in adult life did not change this ratio. T cell numbers in the spleen were significantly decreased at all neonatal ages studied. Regarding the hypothalamus, prenatal exposure to DEX altered the pattern of neonatal changes in peptide expression in corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons, with a selective reduction in CRH storage in the median eminence (7 and 9 days after birth) and an increase in AVP storage (9 and 20 days after birth). The ratio of AVP over CRH was significantly increased at all developmental ages studied. No effects were seen on basal ACTH and corticosterone levels in plasma. In conclusion, the kinetics of thymus regeneration after DEX exposure during pregnancy were different from that seen after DEX exposure in adult life. Prenatal DEX exposure also seemed to delay the migration of T cells into the spleen. Furthermore, prenatal DEX treatment exerted major effects on hypothalamic CRH neurons that maintained for at least 20 days after birth, which points towards an enhanced stress responsiveness of the HPA axis in later life.
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PMID:Effects of short-term dexamethasone treatment during pregnancy on the development of the immune system and the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis in the rat. 855 Aug 16

Acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, mediated by T lymphocytes. Immunization of Lewis rats with myelin antigens suspended in complete Freund's adjuvant induces EAE. In a previous study on rats we have found that neurointermediate pituitary lobectomy (NIL) decreased both the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Here we investigated the effect of NIL on the incidence and severity of EAE and on the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in Lewis rats. NIL, hypophysectomized (Hypox) and sham-operated (Sham) rats were immunized s.c. with guinea-pig brain extract suspended in complete Freund's adjuvant. Untreated rats were used as controls. Water intake, body weight gain, clinical and histopathologic incidence and severity of EAE were evaluated in the operated groups. On killing, plasma adrenocorticotropin and corticosterone levels were measured and adrenals, thymuses and spleens were weighed. Histopathologic lesions were counted in the brain and spinal cord. Water intake and body weight gain were significantly decreased in Sham and Hypox animals with EAE whereas higher intakes persisted in the NIL group. Plasma levels of adrenocorticotropin were within the normal range whereas corticosterone levels increased in Sham and occasionally in NIL animals. Thymus weights were decreased in NIL and Hypox groups. The clinical and histopathologic incidence and severity of EAE were significantly decreased in NIL animals as compared with Sham and Hypox rats. We concluded that NIL affects the cell-mediated immune response and plays a role in the development and progression of EAE in the Lewis rat.
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PMID:Neurointermediate pituitary lobectomy decreases the incidence and severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats. 1564 82