scholarly journals Endogenous oxytocin inhibits hypothalamic stress responsive neurons following acute hypernatremia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipanwita Pati ◽  
Scott W. Harden ◽  
Kyle B. Kelly ◽  
Annette D. de Kloet ◽  
Eric G. Krause ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Plasma Osmolality ◽  
Plasma Corticosterone ◽  
High Plasma ◽  
Synaptic Activity ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Salt Loading ◽  
Stress Responsiveness ◽  
Parvocellular Neurons ◽  
Inhibitory Tone

AbstractSignificant prior evidence indicates that centrally acting oxytocin robustly modulates stress responsiveness and anxiety-like behavior, although the neural mechanisms behind these effects are not completely understood. A plausible neural basis for oxytocin mediated stress reduction is via inhibition of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) that regulate activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Previously, we have shown that following subcutaneous injection of 2.0 M NaCl, oxytocin (OT) synthesizing neurons are activated in the rat PVN, an oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) dependent inhibitory tone develops on a subset of parvocellular neurons, and stress-mediated increases in plasma corticosterone levels are blunted. Here, we utilized transgenic male CRH-reporter mice to selectively target PVN CRH neurons for whole-cell recordings. These experiments reveal that acute salt loading produces tonic inhibition of PVN CRH neurons through a mechanism that is largely independent of synaptic activity. Further studies reveal that CRH neurons within the PVN synthesize mRNA for Oxtr(s). Salt induced Oxtr-dependent inhibitory tone was eliminated in individual PVN CRH neurons filled with GDP-β-S, and was also largely absent in PVN CRH neurons extracted form CRH-Oxtr KO mice. Additional electrophysiological studies suggest that reduced excitability of PVN CRH neurons in salt loaded animals is associated with increased activation of an inwardly rectifying potassium channel. Collectively, these data reveal a likely cellular mechanism by which endogenous oxytocin signaling reduces the excitability of PVN CRH neurons to curb stress responsiveness during times of high plasma osmolality.

Absence of negative feedback by oxytocin on release from magnocellular neurones in conscious rats

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Savio W. T. Cheng ◽  
William G. North
Keyword(s):  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Plasma Osmolality ◽  
High Plasma ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Salt Loading ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Oxytocin Neurones

Peripheral administration of vasopressin (VP) was previously shown to exert a negative feedback influence on its own release and on the release of oxytocin (OT). In this study we examined the possible influence that OT has on the function of hypothalamic magnocellular neurones. Oxytocin was administered intraperitoneally and its effects on release from VP neurones and from OT neurones were determined as indexed by plasma concentrations of vasopressin-associated neurophysin ([VP-RNP]) and oxytocin-associated neurophysin ([OT-RNP]) under basal conditions and conditions of high plasma osmolality (Posm) induced by acute salt loading. Studies were performed on conscious, chronically instrumented Long-Evans rats. Oxytocin (1 nmol or 10 nmol) dissolved in 1 mL of 0.9% saline was administered intraperitoneally to animals 1 h before they received an intravenous infusion of hypertonic saline over 60 min at a rate designed to raise Posm by approximately 0.75 mosmol∙min−1. Intraperitoneal injection of vehicle or 1 nmol of OT did not significantly alter [VP-RNP], [OT-RNP], or basal Posm. Administration of 10 nmol OT also had no effect on [VP-RNP] or [OT-RNP], but this dose of peptide significantly lowered basal Posm (299 ± 2 to 290 ± 2 mosmol/kg H2O, p < 0.001). Both doses of OT did not significantly alter the responsiveness of VP neurones to hyperosmotic stimulation. The slopes of the relationship between the rise in [VP-RNP] (A[VP-RNP]) and the rise in Posm (ΔPosm) for the groups receiving pretreatment of 1 nmol OT (n = 5), 10 nmol OT (n = 7), and vehicle (n = 7) were similar (6.1 ± 1.4, r = 0.86; 5.1 ± 0.9, r = 0.91; and 6.6 ± 0.9 fmol∙mL−1∙mosmol−1∙kg−1, r = 0.93, respectively). For the 1-nmol dose of OT that generated plasma OT levels in the physiological range, the slopes of the relationship between the rise in [OT-RNP] (Δ[OT-RNP]) and ΔPosm over the period of salt loading for peptide-treated animals and control animals (39.5 ± 8.9, r = 0.89 vs. 23.4 ± 5.9, fmol∙mL−1∙mosmol−1∙kg−1, r = 0.93) indicated an increased responsiveness of OT neurones, but this difference was not significant (p < 0.1426). Higher plasma levels of OT were generated by administering the 10 nmol dose of OT, and the slopes of the relationship between Δ[OT-RNP] and ΔPosm for peptide-treated animals and control animals (13.9 ± 1.6, r = 0.96 vs. 23.4 ± 8.9 fmol∙mL−1∙mosmol−1∙kg−1, r = 0.93) suggested a decreased responsiveness of OT neurones, but again this difference was not significant (p < 0.1637). However, there was a significant difference in the rise in OT-RNP with plasma osmolality for rats receiving high versus low dose of peptide (p < 0.0475). Our data indicate that peripherally administered OT, unlike VP, does not exert a negative feedback influence on osmotically stimulated release from VP neurones and most probably OT neurones. However, it cannot be ruled out that the lack of modulation of magnocellular neurones by the high dose of OT could be due to the summation of a positive OT effect (since the 1-nmol group appeared to exhibit an enhancing effect) and of a negative VP effect as indicated by blood pressure increases and plasma dilution. OT also does not appear to have an influence on basal release from magnocellular neurones.Key words: neurophysins, oxytocin neurones, vasopressin neurones.

Dehydration-induced drinking decreases Fos expression in hypothalamic paraventricular neurons expressing vasopressin but not corticotropin-releasing hormone

2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (3) ◽  
pp. R1349-R1358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Wotus ◽  
Michelle M. Arnhold ◽  
William C. Engeland
Keyword(s):  
Acute Stress ◽  
Plasma Osmolality ◽  
Plasma Corticosterone ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Corticotropin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Plasma Acth ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Parvocellular Neurons ◽  
Fos Expression ◽  
Receiving Water

Water-restricted (WR) rats exhibit a rapid suppression of plasma corticosterone following drinking. The present study monitored Fos-like immunoreactivity (Fos) to assess the effect of WR-induced drinking on the activity of vasopressin (VP)-positive magnocellular and parvocellular neurons and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-positive parvocellular neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Adult male rats received water for 30 min (WR) in the post meridiem (PM) each day for 6 days and were killed without receiving water or at 1 h after receiving water for 15 min. In WR rats, Fos increased in VP magnocellular and parvocellular neurons but not CRH neurons. After drinking, Fos was reduced in VP magnocellular and parvocellular neurons but did not change in CRH neurons. To assess the severity of osmotic stress, rats were sampled throughout the final day of WR. Plasma osmolality, hematocrit and plasma VP were increased throughout the day before PM rehydration, and plasma ACTH and corticosterone were elevated at 1230 and 1430, respectively, showing that WR activates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity during the early PM before the time of rehydration. To determine the effects of WR-induced drinking on CRH neurons activated by acute stress, WR rats underwent restraint. Restraint increased plasma ACTH and corticosterone and Fos in CRH neurons; although rehydration reduced plasma ACTH and Fos expression in VP neurons, Fos in CRH neurons was not affected. These results suggest that inhibition of VP magnocellular and parvocellular neurons, but not CRH parvocellular neurons, contributes to the suppression of corticosterone after WR-induced drinking.

scholarly journals The Paradoxical Effect Hypothesis of Abused Drugs in a Rat Model of Chronic Morphine Administration

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 3197
Author(s):  
Yinghao Yu ◽  
Alan Bohan He ◽  
Michelle Liou ◽  
Chenyin Ou ◽  
Anna Kozłowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Addiction ◽  
Basolateral Amygdala ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Plasma Corticosterone ◽  
High Plasma ◽  
Paradoxical Effect ◽  
Chronic Morphine ◽  
Morphine Administration ◽  
Abused Drugs ◽  
Effect Hypothesis

A growing body of studies has recently shown that abused drugs could simultaneously induce the paradoxical effect in reward and aversion to influence drug addiction. However, whether morphine induces reward and aversion, and which neural substrates are involved in morphine’s reward and aversion remains unclear. The present study first examined which doses of morphine can simultaneously produce reward in conditioned place preference (CPP) and aversion in conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in rats. Furthermore, the aversive dose of morphine was determined. Moreover, using the aversive dose of 10 mg/kg morphine tested plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels and examined which neural substrates were involved in the aversive morphine-induced CTA on conditioning, extinction, and reinstatement. Further, we analyzed c-Fos and p-ERK expression to demonstrate the paradoxical effect—reward and aversion and nonhomeostasis or disturbance by morphine-induced CTA. The results showed that a dose of more than 20 mg/kg morphine simultaneously induced reward in CPP and aversion in CTA. A dose of 10 mg/kg morphine only induced the aversive CTA, and it produced higher plasma CORT levels in conditioning and reacquisition but not extinction. High plasma CORT secretions by 10 mg/kg morphine-induced CTA most likely resulted from stress-related aversion but were not a rewarding property of morphine. For assessments of c-Fos and p-ERK expression, the cingulate cortex 1 (Cg1), prelimbic cortex (PrL), infralimbic cortex (IL), basolateral amygdala (BLA), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and dentate gyrus (DG) were involved in the morphine-induced CTA, and resulted from the aversive effect of morphine on conditioning and reinstatement. The c-Fos data showed fewer neural substrates (e.g., PrL, IL, and LH) on extinction to be hyperactive. In the context of previous drug addiction data, the evidence suggests that morphine injections may induce hyperactivity in many neural substrates, which mediate reward and/or aversion due to disturbance and nonhomeostasis in the brain. The results support the paradoxical effect hypothesis of abused drugs. Insight from the findings could be used in the clinical treatment of drug addiction.

scholarly journals Psychosocial Crowding Stress-Induced Changes in Synaptic Transmission and Glutamate Receptor Expression in the Rat Frontal Cortex

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 294
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Zelek-Molik ◽  
Bartosz Bobula ◽  
Anna Gądek-Michalska ◽  
Katarzyna Chorązka ◽  
Adam Bielawski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Interleukin 1 ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Plasma Corticosterone ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Synaptic Activity ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Crowding Stress

This study demonstrates how exposure to psychosocial crowding stress (CS) for 3, 7, and 14 days affects glutamate synapse functioning and signal transduction in the frontal cortex (FC) of rats. CS effects on synaptic activity were evaluated in FC slices of the primary motor cortex (M1) by measuring field potential (FP) amplitude, paired-pulse ratio (PPR), and long-term potentiation (LTP). Protein expression of GluA1, GluN2B mGluR1a/5, VGLUT1, and VGLUT2 was assessed in FC by western blot. The body’s response to CS was evaluated by measuring body weight and the plasma level of plasma corticosterone (CORT), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and interleukin 1 beta (IL1B). CS 3 14d increased FP and attenuated LTP in M1, while PPR was augmented in CS 14d. The expression of GluA1, GluN2B, and mGluR1a/5 was up-regulated in CS 3d and downregulated in CS 14d. VGLUTs expression tended to increase in CS 7d. The failure to blunt the effects of chronic CS on FP and LTP in M1 suggests the impairment of habituation mechanisms by psychosocial stressors. PPR augmented by chronic CS with increased VGLUTs level in the CS 7d indicates that prolonged CS exposure changed presynaptic signaling within the FC. The CS bidirectional profile of changes in glutamate receptors’ expression seems to be a common mechanism evoked by stress in the FC.

scholarly journals Specific expression of an oxytocin-enhanced cyan fluorescent protein fusion transgene in the rat hypothalamus and posterior pituitary

2009 ◽  
Vol 204 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akiko Katoh ◽  
Hiroaki Fujihara ◽  
Toyoaki Ohbuchi ◽  
Tatsushi Onaka ◽  
W Scott Young ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Fusion Gene ◽  
Plasma Osmolality ◽  
Cyan Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Posterior Pituitary ◽  
Protein Fusion ◽  
Transgenic Rats ◽  
Salt Loading ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Enhanced Cyan Fluorescent Protein

We have generated rats bearing an oxytocin (OXT)-enhanced cyan fluorescent protein (eCFP) fusion transgene designed from a murine construct previously shown to be faithfully expressed in transgenic mice. In situ hybridisation histochemistry revealed that the Oxt–eCfp fusion gene was expressed in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in these rats. The fluorescence emanating from eCFP was observed only in the SON, the PVN, the internal layer of the median eminence and the posterior pituitary (PP). In in vitro preparations, freshly dissociated cells from the SON and axon terminals showed clear eCFP fluorescence. Immunohistochemistry for OXT and arginine vasopressin (AVP) revealed that the eCFP fluorescence co-localises with OXT immunofluorescence, but not with AVP immunofluorescence in the SON and the PVN. Although the expression levels of the Oxt–eCfp fusion gene in the SON and the PVN showed a wide range of variations in transgenic rats, eCFP fluorescence was markedly increased in the SON and the PVN, but decreased in the PP after chronic salt loading. The expression of the Oxt gene was significantly increased in the SON and the PVN after chronic salt loading in both non-transgenic and transgenic rats. Compared with wild-type animals, euhydrated and salt-loaded male and female transgenic rats showed no significant differences in plasma osmolality, sodium concentration and OXT and AVP levels, suggesting that the fusion gene expression did not disturb any physiological processes. These results suggest that our new transgenic rats are a valuable new tool to identify OXT-producing neurones and their terminals.

Tolerance and osmotic response to food deprivation and salt loading in the herbivorous non-drinking Moroccan Spiny-tailed lizard Uromastyx nigriventris (Sauria: Agamidae)

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Bendami Safaa ◽  
Znari Mohammed
Keyword(s):  
Water Deprivation ◽  
Plasma Osmolality ◽  
Condition Index ◽  
Plasma Sodium ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Salt Glands ◽  
Salt Loading ◽  
High K ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Herbivorous Species

Abstract Animals inhabiting arid environments use a variety of behavioural and physiological strategies to balance their water and salt budgets. We studied the effects of dehydration and salt loading on osmoregulatory capacities in a large herbivorous desert lizard, the Moroccan Spiny-tailed lizard Uromastyx nigriventris, the family Agamidae. These lizards select plants with a high K+ to Na+ ratio of 15 to 20, and like other herbivorous lizards, effectively eliminate the extra electrolyte load, mainly via a pair of active nasal salt glands, which exude the extra ions from blood. Here we present results of a series of laboratory experiments, which tested a five-week food and water deprivation and the excretory response of nasal salt glands, during a short period of five days, following salt loading by two separated injections of KCl or NaCl at a 5-day interval (4th and 9th days). During food-water deprivation, hypohydrated lizards lost 32% of their initial body mass with a substantial decrease of their Body Condition Index and the tail volume as an index of energy (fat and then potential metabolic water) storage. Plasma osmolality significantly increased by 20%. There were also significantly increased plasma sodium, chloride, and total protein concentrations. On the other hand, there was no significant decrease in the plasma glucose level. Most of the salt loaded lizards secreted far more K+ than Na+ via the nasal glands, even after NaCl loading. The K+/Na+ ratio decreased only after two to three repetitive NaCl injections but insufficient Na+ was eliminated. Two successive KCl injections were successfully eliminated, but daily natural average K+ administration induced progressive hyperkaliemia. These experimental data agreed with previous observations showing variations of plasma Na+ and K+ concentrations in free-living lizards. The nasal gland constitutes the main route of Cl− excretion but the Cl−/(Na+ + K+) ratio may vary according to observations in other herbivorous species.

scholarly journals The Vasopressin System in the Risk of Diabetes and Cardiorenal Disease, and Hydration as a Potential Lifestyle Intervention

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (Suppl. 2) ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Enhörning ◽  
Olle Melander
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Water Intake ◽  
Kidney Diseases ◽  
Urine Volume ◽  
Plasma Osmolality ◽  
Premature Mortality ◽  
Urine Osmolality ◽  
High Plasma ◽  
Effective Prevention

Background: Type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its cardiovascular complications are increasing as health problems worldwide. These diseases are interrelated with overlapping occurrence and once diabetes is established, the risk of cardiorenal disease is dramatically elevated. Thus, a search for unifying modifiable risk factors is key for effective prevention. Summary: Elevated fasting plasma concentration of vasopressin, measured with the marker copeptin, predicts new onset type 2 diabetes as well as renal function decline. Furthermore, we recently showed that increased plasma copeptin concentration independently predicts the development of both CKD and other specified kidney diseases. In consequence, high copeptin is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature mortality in both diabetes patients and in the general population. Vasopressin is released when plasma osmolality is high, and the easiest way to lower plasma vasopressin and copeptin concentration is to increase water intake. In a human water intervention experiment with 1 week of 3 L/day increased water intake, the one third of the participants with the greatest copeptin reduction (water responders) were those with a phenotype of low water intake (high habitual plasma copeptin and urine osmolality, and low urine volume). The water-responders had a copeptin reduction of 41% after 1 week of increased water intake compared to a control week; in contrast, a 3% reduction occurred in the other two thirds of the study participants. Among water responders, increased water intake also induced a reduction in fasting glucagon concentration. Key Messages: Elevated copeptin, a measure of vasopressin, is a risk marker of metabolic and cardiorenal diseases and may assist in the detection of individuals at higher risk for these diseases. Furthermore, individuals with high copeptin and other signs of low water intake may experience beneficial glucometabolic effects of increased water intake. Future randomized control trials investigating effects of hydration on glucometabolic and renal outcomes should focus on individuals with signs of low water intake including high plasma copeptin concentration.

Influence of opioid peptides on release from vasopressin and oxytocin neurones of the hypothalamoneurohypophyseal system: effects of naloxone in the conscious rat

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 568-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Savio W. T. Cheng ◽  
Edward F. O'Connor ◽  
William G. North
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Concentration ◽  
Opioid Peptides ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Plasma Osmolality ◽  
Plasma Sodium ◽  
Endogenous Opioid ◽  
Salt Loading ◽  
Conscious Rats ◽  
Basal Plasma ◽  
Acute And Chronic Treatments

We examined the effects of acute and chronic treatments with naloxone on release of vasopressin and oxytocin from the hypothalamoneurohypophyseal system (HNS) in conscious, chronically instrumented Long–Evans rats. Plasma concentrations of vasopressin-associated neurophysin and oxytocin-associated neurophysin were evaluated before and during an intravenous infusion of 18% saline at 100 μL∙kg−1 body weight∙min−1 for 60 min. Acute treatment with naloxone (2.75 μmol/kg, intravenous) did not measurably alter basal plasma osmolality or vasopressin-associated neurophysin concentration, but it caused a three-fold rise in basal plasma oxytocin-associated neurophysin concentration (16 ± 2 to 46 ± 3 fmol/mL, p < 0.005). Chronic treatment with naloxone (13.75 μmol/day, subcutaneous pellets) increased plasma osmolality (292 ± 1 to 300 ± 2 mosmol/kg H2O, p < 0.01) by day 5, but it had no measurable effects on basal vasopressin- or oxytocin-associated neurophysin concentration. There were also no significant differences in plasma sodium concentration (144.8 ± 1.1 vs. 142.2 ± 1.4 mequiv./L) under both conditions. Acute and chronic treatments with naloxone accompanied by salt loading produced a five- and four-fold decrease in the rates that plasma concentration of vasopressin-associated neurophysin changed with plasma osmolality, compared with untreated salt-loaded control rats. For oxytocin secretion from the HNS, both treatments accompanied by salt loading substantially decreased the threshold for changes in relation to plasma osmolality; the rise in plasma concentration of oxytocin-associated neurophysin was similar at all levels of hyperosmotic stimulation. A strongly correlated relationship between plasma oxytocin-associated neurophysin and plasma osmolality (r = 0.739) found for control animals became poorly correlated following treatments (acute, r = 0.173; chronic, r = −0.079). Our results suggest that in conscious rats, endogenous opioid peptides enhance the secretion of vasopressin from neurones of the HNS in response to hyperosmotic stimulation but inhibit both basal and stimulated release of oxytocin.Key words: naloxone, vasopressin, oxytocin, neurophysin, conscious rats.

scholarly journals Aquaporins, Vasopressin, and Aging: Current Perspectives

Endocrinology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 156 (3) ◽  
pp. 777-788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazia Tamma ◽  
Nandu Goswami ◽  
Johannes Reichmuth ◽  
Natale G. De Santo ◽  
Giovanna Valenti
Keyword(s):  
Kidney Diseases ◽  
Plasma Osmolality ◽  
High Plasma ◽  
Receptor Subtypes ◽  
Vasopressin Receptor ◽  
Amino Acid Peptide ◽  
Mediated Effects ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Vasopressin Secretion ◽  
Multiple Abnormalities

Abstract Functioning of the hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal-vasopressin axis is altered in aging, and the pathway may represent a plausible target to slow the process of aging. Arginine vasopressin, a nine-amino acid peptide that is secreted from the posterior pituitary in response to high plasma osmolality and hypotension, is central in this pathway. Vasopressin has important roles in circulatory and water homoeostasis mediated by vasopressin receptor subtypes V1a (vascular), V1b (pituitary), and V2 (vascular, renal). A dysfunction in this pathway as a result of aging can result in multiple abnormalities in several physiological systems. In addition, vasopressin plasma concentration is significantly higher in males than in females and vasopressin-mediated effects on renal and vascular targets are more pronounced in males than in females. These findings may be caused by sex differences in vasopressin secretion and action, making men more susceptible than females to diseases like hypertension, cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases, and urolithiasis. Recently the availability of new, potent, orally active vasopressin receptor antagonists, the vaptans, has strongly increased the interest on vasopressin and its receptors as a new target for prevention of age-related diseases associated with its receptor-altered signaling. This review summarizes the recent literature in the field of vasopressin signaling in age-dependent abnormalities in kidney, cardiovascular function, and bone function.

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