Rapid prolactin induction in adult male rats after treatment with diethylstilbestrol.

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic oestrogen known to disrupt the endocrine system and to cause reproductive toxicity mediated via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; however, its molecular mechanism of action is poorly understood. In the present study, we found that, after only 1 week of exposure to DES, blood testosterone dramatically decreased and that this decrease was associated with a strong induction of prolactin (PRL). Even with the increase in PRL, the luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone mRNAs slightly decreased. Our results show that, after 48 hours of a single dose of DES, there was a six-fold increase in PRL expression. After exploring the upstream mechanisms, we determined that dopamine, which inhibits PRL secretion in male rats, did not decrease in the pituitary gland of DES-treated rats, whereas vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), which mediates the acute release of PRL, was elevated. Serotonin (5-HT) increased in the brain of male rats 24 hours after a single DES treatment; however, PRL, VIP or 5-HT was not induced by DES in female rats. Our results indicate that DES induces the expression of pituitary PRL in male rats by stimulating VIP in the hypothalamus and 5-HT in the central nervous system.

Adrenal steroidogenesis disruption caused by HDL/cholesterol suppression in diethylstilbestrol-treated adult male rat.

The synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol is used to prevent miscarriages and as a therapeutic treatment for prostate cancer, but it has been reported to have adverse effects on endocrine homeostasis. However, the toxicity mechanism is poorly understood. Recently, we reported that diethylstilbestrol impairs adrenal steroidogenesis via cholesterol insufficiency in adult male rats. In the present study, we found that the adrenal cholesterol level was significantly reduced without of the decrease in other precursors in the adrenal steroidogenesis 24 h after a single dose of diethylstilbestrol (0.33 µg/g body mass). The serum HDL/cholesterol level was also reduced only 12 h after the diethylstilbestrol exposure. The level of Apo E, which is indispensable for HDL/cholesterol maturation, was decreased in both the HDL and VLDL/LDL fractions, whereas the level of Apo A1, which is an essential constituent of HDL, was not altered in the HDL fraction. Because the liver is a major source of Apo E and Apo A1, the secretion rates of these proteins were examined using a liver perfusion experiment. The secretion rate of Apo A1 from the liver was consistent between DES-treated and control rats, but that of Apo E was comparatively suppressed in the DES-treated rats. The disruption of adrenal steroidogenesis by diethylstilbestrol was caused by a decrease in serum HDL/cholesterol, which is the main source of adrenal steroidogenesis, due to the inhibition of Apo E secretion from the liver.

Circadian rhythms in the CNS and peripheral clock disorders: function of clock genes: influence of medication for bronchial asthma on circadian gene.

Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways, in which inflammation causes bronchial hyper-responsiveness and flow limitation in the presence of various stimuli. Pulmonary function in asthmatic patients frequently deteriorates between midnight and early morning, which has suggested a role for chronotherapy. Although relationships between bronchial asthma and the function of clock genes remain unclear, some medications given for asthma such as glucocorticoids or beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists may influence clock genes in vivo. In our studies of clock gene mRNA expressions in human bronchial epithelial cells in vitro and peripheral blood cells in vivo, we demonstrated that glucocorticoid or beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonist treatment strongly induced human Per1 mRNA expression both in vitro and in vivo. Human peripheral blood cells provide a useful indication of peripheral clock gene mRNA expression in vivo.