Abstract
The thiol reagent cysteamine was administered to adult male rats with the aim of investigating its effect on different neural and pineal components. As expected, immunoreactive somatostatin decreased in the median eminence (ME) (p < 0.05) and gastric antrum (p < 0.05) after cysteamine; however, no significant change was observed in the pineal IRS content after drug treatment. A decrease in norepinephrine was observed in the ME (p < 0.001), hypothalamus (p < 0.001) and pineal gland (p < 0.05), together with a rise in ME (p < 0.005) and hypothalamic dopamine (p < 0.005) content; these results are consistent with a dopamine-beta-hydroxylase inhibiting effect of cysteamine. No effect was observed on hypothalamic serotonin and 5-hydroxyindole-acetic acid content. Pineal N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity was significantly higher (p < 0.05) after cysteamine than after saline, but no statistically significant effect was observed on pineal melatonin content. The mechanism involved in the NAT rise is presumably not related to the known stimulatory effect of norepinephrine, which fell after cysteamine. It is suggested that cysteamine may act at an intracellular level, inhibiting NAT degradation, an effect demonstrated in vitro and thought to be related to a thiol:disulfide exchange mechanism.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 315-320 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Brain Research Bulletin |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1986 |
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Keywords
- Catecholamines
- Cysteamine
- Melatonin
- Pineal NAT
- Rats
- Somatostatin
- Thiol:disulfide exchange
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
Cite this
Cysteamine effects on somatostatin, catecholamines, pineal NAT and melatonin in rats. / Webb, Susan M.; Champney, Thomas H.; Steger, Richard W.; Vaughan, Mary K.; Reiter, Russel J.
In: Brain Research Bulletin, Vol. 16, No. 3, 1986, p. 315-320.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Cysteamine effects on somatostatin, catecholamines, pineal NAT and melatonin in rats
AU - Webb, Susan M.
AU - Champney, Thomas H.
AU - Steger, Richard W.
AU - Vaughan, Mary K.
AU - Reiter, Russel J
PY - 1986
Y1 - 1986
N2 - The thiol reagent cysteamine was administered to adult male rats with the aim of investigating its effect on different neural and pineal components. As expected, immunoreactive somatostatin decreased in the median eminence (ME) (p < 0.05) and gastric antrum (p < 0.05) after cysteamine; however, no significant change was observed in the pineal IRS content after drug treatment. A decrease in norepinephrine was observed in the ME (p < 0.001), hypothalamus (p < 0.001) and pineal gland (p < 0.05), together with a rise in ME (p < 0.005) and hypothalamic dopamine (p < 0.005) content; these results are consistent with a dopamine-beta-hydroxylase inhibiting effect of cysteamine. No effect was observed on hypothalamic serotonin and 5-hydroxyindole-acetic acid content. Pineal N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity was significantly higher (p < 0.05) after cysteamine than after saline, but no statistically significant effect was observed on pineal melatonin content. The mechanism involved in the NAT rise is presumably not related to the known stimulatory effect of norepinephrine, which fell after cysteamine. It is suggested that cysteamine may act at an intracellular level, inhibiting NAT degradation, an effect demonstrated in vitro and thought to be related to a thiol:disulfide exchange mechanism.
AB - The thiol reagent cysteamine was administered to adult male rats with the aim of investigating its effect on different neural and pineal components. As expected, immunoreactive somatostatin decreased in the median eminence (ME) (p < 0.05) and gastric antrum (p < 0.05) after cysteamine; however, no significant change was observed in the pineal IRS content after drug treatment. A decrease in norepinephrine was observed in the ME (p < 0.001), hypothalamus (p < 0.001) and pineal gland (p < 0.05), together with a rise in ME (p < 0.005) and hypothalamic dopamine (p < 0.005) content; these results are consistent with a dopamine-beta-hydroxylase inhibiting effect of cysteamine. No effect was observed on hypothalamic serotonin and 5-hydroxyindole-acetic acid content. Pineal N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity was significantly higher (p < 0.05) after cysteamine than after saline, but no statistically significant effect was observed on pineal melatonin content. The mechanism involved in the NAT rise is presumably not related to the known stimulatory effect of norepinephrine, which fell after cysteamine. It is suggested that cysteamine may act at an intracellular level, inhibiting NAT degradation, an effect demonstrated in vitro and thought to be related to a thiol:disulfide exchange mechanism.
KW - Catecholamines
KW - Cysteamine
KW - Melatonin
KW - Pineal NAT
KW - Rats
KW - Somatostatin
KW - Thiol:disulfide exchange
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0022877256&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0022877256&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/0361-9230(86)90051-1
DO - 10.1016/0361-9230(86)90051-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 2423200
AN - SCOPUS:0022877256
VL - 16
SP - 315
EP - 320
JO - Brain Research Bulletin
JF - Brain Research Bulletin
SN - 0361-9230
IS - 3
ER -