Accepted Preprint first posted online on 6 May 2009
Journal of Endocrinology 2009;202:237.
Journal of Endocrinology (2009) In press
DOI: 10.1677/JOE-09-0009
© 2009 Society for Endocrinology
Centrally administered adrenomedullin 5 activates oxytocin-secreting neurons in the hypothalamus and elevates plasma oxytocin level in rats
Hiroki Otsubo,
Susumu Hyodo,
Hirofumi Hashimoto,
Makoto Kawasaki,
Hitoshi Suzuki,
Takeshi Saito,
Toyoaki Ohbuchi,
Toru Yokoyama,
Hiroaki Fujihara,
Tetsuro Matsumoto,
Yoshio Takei and
Yoichi Ueta
H Otsubo, Physiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyusyu, 807-0806, Japan
S Hyodo, Laboratory of Physiology, Department of Marine Bioscience, Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
H Hashimoto, Physiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyusyu, Japan
M Kawasaki, Physiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyusyu, Japan
H Suzuki, Physiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyusyu, Japan
T Saito, Physiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyusyu, Japan
T Ohbuchi, Physiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyusyu, Japan
T Yokoyama, Physiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyusyu, Japan
H Fujihara, Physiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyusyu, Japan
T Matsumoto, Urology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyusyu, Japan
Y Takei, Laboratory of Physiology, Department of Marine Bioscience, Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Y Ueta, Physiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyusyu, Japan
Correspondence: Hiroki Otsubo, Email: tsubo425{at}med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
We examined the effects of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of adrenomedullin 5 (AM5) in the brain of conscious rats. We used porcine AM5 in the present study because rat AM5 has not been detected. We observed Fos-like immunoreactivity (LI) in the hypothalamus and brainstem of conscious rats after i.c.v. administration of AM5 (2 nmol/rat). Fos-LI, measured at 90 min post-AM5 injection, was observed in various brain areas, including the supraoptic (SON) and the paraventricular nuclei (PVN). Dual immunostaining for Fos/oxytocin (OXT) and Fos/arginine vasopressin (AVP) revealed that OXT-LI neurones predominantly colocalised Fos-LI compared with AVP-LI neurones in the SON and the PVN. Plasma OXT levels were significantly increased 5 min after i.c.v. administration of AM5 (1 nmol/rat) compared with vehicle and remained elevated in samples taken at 10, 15 and 30 min without changes in plasma AVP levels at any time. In situ hybridisation histochemistry showed that i.c.v. administration of AM5 (0.2, 1 and 2 nmol/rat) caused a marked induction of the expression of the c-fos gene in the SON and the PVN. This induction was significantly but not completely reduced by pretreatment with both the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonist CGRP-(8-37) (3 nmol/rat) and the AM receptor antagonist AM-(22-52) (27 nmol/rat). Although porcine AM5 has not been detected yet in the brain, these results suggest that centrally administered porcine AM5 may activate OXT-secreting neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamus partly through AM/CGRP receptors and elicit secretion of OXT into the systemic circulation in conscious rats.
Copyright © 2009 by the Society for Endocrinology.