ABSTRACT
The rat brain accumulates pregnenolone (P) as the unconjugated steroid, the sulfate ester (S) and fatty acid esters (L). P + PS do not disappear from rat brain after combined adrenalectomy (adx) and castration (orx). PL does not serve a source of P after adx + orx. P is metabolized by several rat brain regions to progesterone and to PL. Brain microsomes contain the acyl-transferase which converts P to PL using endogenous substrates. Brain P and dehydroepiandrosterone (D) undergo a prominent circadian variation with their acrophases at the beginning of the dark span. The circadian variation of brain D persists after adx + orx. The monkey brain (Macaca fascicularis) also accumulates P and D. Adrenal suppression with dexamethasone for 4 days does not decrease the concentrations of brain P and 3rd ventricle CSFP and D. The concentrations of brain D are decreased to a much smaller extent than plasma D. D inhibits the aggressive behavior of castrated male mice exposed to lactating female intruders. This is not the case for DS or androst-5-ene-3 beta, 17 beta-diol. The D analog 3 beta-methyl-androst-5-en-17-one, which is not estrogenic and cannot be metabolized to testosterone or estradiol, is as active as D in inhibiting the aggressive behavior of castrated mice.
Subject(s)
Brain/metabolism , Dehydroepiandrosterone/metabolism , Pregnenolone/metabolism , Adrenal Glands/drug effects , Adrenal Glands/physiology , Adrenalectomy , Aggression/drug effects , Animals , Castration , Circadian Rhythm , Dehydroepiandrosterone/pharmacology , Dexamethasone/pharmacology , Esters , Fatty Acids/metabolism , Female , Glucocorticoids/metabolism , Macaca fascicularis , Male , Mice , Rats , Sulfates/metabolism , Tissue DistributionABSTRACT
Report of a case of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis in an european boy living in Upper-Volta and whose brother had a merely cutaneous form of the disease. Comments on the role of personnal susceptibility, environment and arthropod vectors. In each given area would it exist a special type of leishmania related to the local vectors and which would give various clinical forms according to a second degree ecological system associating man and parasite.
