Thyroid hormone regulation of central nervous system (CNS) beta-endorphin and ACTH.
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Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
Biomedical subjects
C H Pontzer
Publications and source records attributed to C H Pontzer.
Age-related changes in central nervous system beta-endorphin and ACTH.
Aging is associated with alterations in mood, thermoregulation, pain threshold, and stress response. Because these functions may be modulated by endogenous opiates, we measured immunoreactive ACTH with beta-endorphin in discrete brain areas and pituitary glands from rats aged 6 weeks (young), 6 months (mature), and 20-24 months (senscent). Beta-Endorphin and ACTH declined significantly with aging in the hypothalamus and corpus striatum. Beta-Endorphin and ACTH increased in the frontal lobe during early life; however, no change was noted after maturity. A discordant response with age was noted in the pituitary in that (ACTH did not change, while beta-endorphin increased early in life without change after maturity. Cerebellar tissue exhibited no immunoreactive ACTH or beta-endorphin. Age-related changes in brain and pituitary beta-endorphin and ACTH must be considered in the evaluation of the physiological aging process and when comparing studies of these neuropeptides.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
Identification of transformed liver cell colonies using concanavalin A attached to agarose beads.
A method for the in vitro identification of transformed rat liver epithelial and hepatoma cells was developed using the preferential microagglutination of concanavalin A (Con A) coupled to agarose beads (Con A:agarose) to their colonies. Con A:agarose attaches to the cell surface through a specific interaction of the Con A moiety and its receptors. The attachment is dependent on the mobility and aggregation of the Con A: receptor complex on the membrane. Agents which interfere with the interaction reduced the bead density over the colonies. For the quantitative determination of transformed colonies in a mixed-cell population, also containing untransformed cells, it is essential to compare colonies of a similar size or to use the bead density per unit area as the index. When a variety of rat liver epithelial cell lines were tested, the assay proved to be simple, reproducible, and precise. It was found that the increased attachment of Con A:agarose to cell colonies is a characteristic of transformed or malignant rat liver cells.
Animals↗
Cellular immunoregulation of acute pulmonary inflammation in strain 2 guinea pigs.
Subclasses of lung immunoregulatory T cells were analyzed during acute pulmonary inflammation in strain 2 guinea pigs and compared with T cell subpopulations in the peripheral circulation. Immunized animals were aerosol-challenged with specific antigen and sacrificed at 12-, 24-, 48-, 72-, and 96-hours postchallenge. Mononuclear cells, isolated from peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage, were enriched for T cells. The percentage of helper T cells, as well as antigen-specific blastogenesis, in recovered pulmonary T cells exhibited maximal values at 12-, 24-, and 96-hours postchallenge. In contrast, the presence of suppressor T cells correlated with decreased blastogenesis and antigen-specific suppression in isolated lung cells at 72-hours postchallenge. Since changes in pulmonary cells did not correlate with those found in the peripheral circulation, immunoregulatory events in these two compartments may be distinct. These results indicate that the proportions of lung T cell subclasses, as well as their in vitro functional activity, are altered over the course of pulmonary disease. Such changes in immunoregulatory cell populations may be important in the mediation of disease pathogenesis.
Administration, Inhalation↗
Pathogenesis of acute pulmonary inflammation in strain 2 and strain 13 guinea pigs.
An acute inflammatory response was elicited in the lungs of strain 2 and 13 guinea pigs following immunization and aerosol challenge with ovalbumin. The pulmonary inflammatory response, characterized by hemorrhage and influx of inflammatory cells, progressed from initiation at 12-hours postchallenge through resolution at 96-hours postchallenge. Inflammatory and immunoregulatory cells, recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage, showed quantitative changes in their relative contribution to the bronchoalveolar cell infiltrate over the course of inflammation. Changes in concentrations of macrophages and T cells, in particular, are discussed in terms of their possible contributions to initiation and resolution of acute pulmonary inflammation.
Administration, Inhalation↗