Sex differences in adrenocortical structure and function. XXVII. The effect of ether stress on ACTH and corticosterone in intact, gonadectomized, and testosterone- or estradiol-replaced rats

Leśniewska, B.; B, Miśkowiak; Nowak, Magdalena; Malendowicz, L. K.

doi:10.1007/pl00020011

Cited by 89 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…As the first observations of sex differences showed increased HPA axis activity in female rodents, most attention has focused on the effects of estradiol, with little attention paid to the possible modulatory role of testosterone. In animals, several castration and androgen replacement studies suggest that androgens inhibit stress-stimulated, but not basal, corticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol concentrations Papadopoulos and Wardlaw, 2000), findings consonant with the many studies showing enhanced response to a variety of stressors in female compared with male rodents (LeMevel et al, 1979;Lesniewska et al, 1990). Sexual dimorphisms (largely age-dependent) in stimulated HPA axis activity have been variably reported in humans (Greenspan et al, 1993;Seeman et al, 2001), but there are virtually no studies identifying the role, if any, of androgens in the reported human dimorphisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Testosterone Suppression of CRH-Stimulated Cortisol in Men

Rubinow

Roca

Schmidt

et al. 2005

Neuropsychopharmacol

134

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Despite observations of age-dependent sexual dimorphisms in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, the role of androgens in the regulation of HPA axis activity in men has not been examined. We assessed this role by performing CRH stimulation tests in 10 men (ages 18-45 years) during gonadal suppression with leuprolide acetate and during testosterone addition to leuprolide. CRHstimulated cortisol levels as well as peak cortisol and greatest cortisol excursion were significantly lower (po0.05, 0.005, and 0.01, respectively) during testosterone replacement compared with the induced hypogonadal condition (leuprolide plus placebo); cortisol area under the curve was lower at a trend level (po0.1). Paradoxically, CRH-stimulated corticotropin (ACTH) was increased significantly during testosterone replacement (po0.05). The cortisol : ACTH ratio, a measure of adrenal sensitivity, was lower during testosterone replacement (po0.1). A mixed effects regression model showed that testosterone but not estradiol or CBG significantly contributed to the variance of cortisol. These data demonstrate that testosterone regulates CRH-stimulated HPA axis activity in men, with the divergent effects on ACTH and cortisol suggesting a peripheral (adrenal) locus for the suppressive effects on cortisol. Our results further demonstrate that the enhanced stimulated HPA axis activity previously described in young men compared with young women cannot be ascribed to an activational upregulation of the axis by testosterone.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Testosterone Suppression of CRH-Stimulated Cortisol in Men

Rubinow

Roca

Schmidt

et al. 2005

Neuropsychopharmacol

134

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“…At the same time, the activity of the HPA axis is modulated by sex hormones, as shown by many studies in female rats and humans. In rats, basal and stressstimulated concentrations of adrenal steroids are different in males and females (4). Ovariectomy reduces basal levels and stress-induced levels of corticoids, which are restored to normal by administration of estrogens (5)(6)(7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and adrenal function before and after ovariectomy in premenopausal women

Leo

Marca²,

Talluri³

et al. 1998

European Journal of Endocrinology

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The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is modulated by sex hormones. Few data exist on the relation between acute estrogen deficit and HPA axis response to corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH).The effects of a sudden drop in estradiol levels on basal and CRH-stimulated levels of ACTH, cortisol, testosterone, androstenedione and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) were assessed in nine premenopausal women (44-48 years of age), before and after ovariectomy. The CRH test was performed before and 8 days after ovariectomy.A significant reduction in ACTH and adrenal steroids but not in cortisol response to CRH was observed after ovariectomy.The ratio of Dmax androstenedione/17-OHP after CRH stimulation was substantially the same before and after ovariectomy, whereas Dmax 17-OHP/cortisol was significantly lower in ovariectomized women showing increased 21-and 11b-hydroxylase activity. The results show that the acute estrogen deficit induces changes in the HPA axis characterized by reduced stimulated secretion of ACTH and steroids but normal stimulated cortisol production.

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“…Sci. 67(11): 1109-1114 Gonadal hormones can influence the stress responses of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in rodents [6,7,11], humans [10,18,19] and domestic animals [1,4]. For example, our previous work indicates that androgen affects the increase in plasma cortisol (Cor) level induced by road transportation stress [1].…”

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confidence: 99%

Effects of Androgen on Plasma Levels of Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and Cortisol during Transportation in Goats

Aoyama

Maejima

Keyaki

et al. 2005

The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science

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ABSTRACT. Previously, we demonstrated that plasma cortisol (Cor) levels were increased by road transportation in castrated male goats, but the extent of the increase was significantly reduced by 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) implantation. This study aims to clarify whether the reduction of Cor secretion by androgen during transportation results from reduced plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Castrated goats were implanted separately with cholesterol (Cho), testosterone (T) or DHT, followed by transportation. Plasma Cor levels increased during transportation regardless of hormone treatment, but the levels in T and DHT treated animals were lower than those in animals treated with Cho. Plasma ACTH levels also increased during transportation, and those in T treated animals were significantly lower than in those treated with Cho. However, plasma ACTH levels in DHT treated animals varied among the animals and did not differ from those in Cho treated animals. Significant and highly positive correlations between the logarithm of plasma ACTH levels and plasma Cor levels were found in every treatment group. The areas under the regression curves between plasma ACTH levels and plasma Cor levels associated with T and DHT treatments were significantly lower than those with Cho treatment. In conclusion, T was shown to reduce ACTH secretion in response to transportation in castrated goats. However, this suppression of the increase in Cor secretion during transportation by androgen is suggested to be mainly a result of suppression of the responsiveness of the adrenal cortex to ACTH. KEY WORDS: ACTH, androgen, cortisol, goat, transportation stress.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 67(11): 1109-1114 Gonadal hormones can influence the stress responses of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in rodents [6,7,11], humans [10,18,19] and domestic animals [1,4]. For example, our previous work indicates that androgen affects the increase in plasma cortisol (Cor) level induced by road transportation stress [1]. Although plasma Cor levels increase during road transportation in both male and female mature goats, those in males are significantly lower than those in females. We further demonstrated that the increase in plasma Cor levels during transportation was significantly reduced by 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in castrated male goats [1]. In addition, we have found that ovariectomized female goats show a similar response to DHT (unpublished data).The secretion of glucocorticoid is stimulated by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secreted from the anterior pituitary gland. ACTH secretion is regulated by corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) secreted from the hypothalamus [20]. In rodents [6,7] and humans [18], the physiological mechanisms underlying the involvement of gonadal hormones in the HPA responses to stress are becoming clearer. For example, Handa and co-workers reported that castration of male rats enhances the increase in c-fos mRNA expression in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) induced by the open field test, and an...

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Sex differences in adrenocortical structure and function. XXVII. The effect of ether stress on ACTH and corticosterone in intact, gonadectomized, and testosterone- or estradiol-replaced rats

Cited by 89 publications

References 20 publications

Testosterone Suppression of CRH-Stimulated Cortisol in Men

Testosterone Suppression of CRH-Stimulated Cortisol in Men

Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and adrenal function before and after ovariectomy in premenopausal women

Effects of Androgen on Plasma Levels of Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and Cortisol during Transportation in Goats

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