Apolipoprotein E and cognitive performance.
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Alzheimer Disease↗
Biomedical subjects
J Raber
Publications and source records attributed to J Raber.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal dysfunction in Apoe(-/-) mice: possible role in behavioral and metabolic alterations.
Several neurological diseases are frequently accompanied by dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis regulates the secretion of glucocorticoids (GCs), which play important roles in diverse brain functions, including cognition, emotion, and feeding. Under physiological conditions, GCs are adaptive and beneficial; however, prolonged elevations in GC levels may contribute to neurodegeneration and brain dysfunction. In the current study, we demonstrate that apolipoprotein E (apoE) deficiency results in age-dependent dysregulation of the HPA axis through a mechanism affecting primarily the adrenal gland. Apoe(-/-) mice, which develop neurodegenerative alterations as they age, had an age-dependent increase in basal adrenal corticosterone content and abnormally increased plasma corticosterone levels after restraint stress, whereas their plasma and pituitary adrenocorticotropin levels were either unchanged or lower than those in controls. HPA axis dysregulation was associated with behavioral and metabolic alterations. When anxiety levels were assessed in the elevated plus maze, Apoe(-/-) mice showed more anxiety than wild-type controls. Apoe(-/-) mice also showed reduced activity in the open field. Finally, Apoe(-/-) mice showed age-dependent increases in food and water intake, stomach and body weights, and decreases in brown and white adipose tissues. These results support a key role for apoE in the tonic inhibition of steroidogenesis and HPA axis activity and have important implications for the behavioral analysis of Apoe(-/-) mice.
Adrenal Glands↗
Obesity resistance and multiple mechanisms of triglyceride synthesis in mice lacking Dgat.
Triglycerides (or triacylglycerols) represent the major form of stored energy in eukaryotes. Triglyceride synthesis has been assumed to occur primarily through acyl CoA:diacylglycerol transferase (Dgat), a microsomal enzyme that catalyses the final and only committed step in the glycerol phosphate pathway. Therefore, Dgat has been considered necessary for adipose tissue formation and essential for survival. Here we show that Dgat-deficient (Dgat-/-) mice are viable and can still synthesize triglycerides. Moreover, these mice are lean and resistant to diet-induced obesity. The obesity resistance involves increased energy expenditure and increased activity. Dgat deficiency also alters triglyceride metabolism in other tissues, including the mammary gland, where lactation is defective in Dgat-/- females. Our findings indicate that multiple mechanisms exist for triglyceride synthesis and suggest that the selective inhibition of Dgat-mediated triglyceride synthesis may be useful for treating obesity.
Absorption↗
Isoform-specific effects of human apolipoprotein E on brain function revealed in ApoE knockout mice: increased susceptibility of females.
Apolipoprotein E (apoE) mediates the redistribution of lipids among cells and is expressed at highest levels in brain and liver. Human apoE exists in three major isoforms encoded by distinct alleles (epsilon2, epsilon3, and epsilon4). Compared with APOE epsilon2 and epsilon3, APOE epsilon4 increases the risk of cognitive impairments, lowers the age of onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and decreases the response to AD treatments. Besides age, inheritance of the APOE epsilon4 allele is the most important known risk factor for the development of sporadic AD, the most common form of this illness. Although numerous hypotheses have been advanced, it remains unclear how APOE epsilon4 might affect cognition and increase AD risk. To assess the effects of distinct human apoE isoforms on the brain, we have used the neuron-specific enolase (NSE) promoter to express human apoE3 or apoE4 at similar levels in neurons of transgenic mice lacking endogenous mouse apoE. Compared with NSE-apoE3 mice and wild-type controls, NSE-apoE4 mice showed impairments in learning a water maze task and in vertical exploratory behavior that increased with age and were seen primarily in females. These findings demonstrate that human apoE isoforms have differential effects on brain function in vivo and that the susceptibility to apoE4-induced deficits is critically influenced by age and gender. These results could be pertinent to cognitive impairments observed in human APOE epsilon4 carriers. NSE-apoE mice and similar models may facilitate the preclinical assessment of treatments for apoE-related cognitive deficits.
Age Factors↗
Amyloid protein precursor stimulates excitatory amino acid transport. Implications for roles in neuroprotection and pathogenesis.
Excitatory neurotransmitters such as glutamate are required for the normal functioning of the central nervous system but can trigger excitotoxic neuronal injury if allowed to accumulate to abnormally high levels. Their extracellular levels are controlled primarily by transmitter uptake into astrocytes. Here, we demonstrate that the amyloid protein precursor may participate in the regulation of this important process. The amyloid protein precursor has been well conserved through evolution, and a number of studies indicate that it may function as an endogenous excitoprotectant. However, the mechanisms underlying this neuroprotective capacity remain largely unknown. At moderate levels of expression, human amyloid protein precursors increased glutamate/aspartate uptake in brains of transgenic mice, with the 751-amino acid isoform showing greater potency than the 695-amino acid isoform. Cerebral glutamate/aspartate transporter protein levels were higher in transgenic mice than in non-transgenic controls, whereas transporter mRNA levels were unchanged. Amyloid protein precursor-dependent stimulation of aspartate uptake by cultured primary astrocytes was associated with increases in protein kinase A and C activity and could be blocked by inhibitors of these kinases. The stimulation of astroglial excitatory amino acid transport by amyloid protein precursors could protect the brain against excitotoxicity and may play an important role in neurotransmission.
Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor↗
Detrimental effects of chronic hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation. From obesity to memory deficits.
Increasing evidence suggests that the detrimental effects of glucocorticoid (GC) hypersecretion occur by activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in several human pathologies, including obesity, Alzheimer's disease, AIDS dementia, and depression. The different patterns of response by the HPA axis during chronic activation are an important consideration in selecting an animal model to assess HPA axis function in a particular disorder. This article will discuss how chronic HPA axis activation and GC hypersecretion affect hippocampal function and contribute to the development of obesity. In the brain, the hippocampus has the highest concentration of GC receptors. Chronic stress or corticosterone treatment induces neuropathological alterations, such as dendritic atrophy in hippocampal neurons, which are paralleled by cognitive deficits. Excitatory amino acid (EAA) neurotransmission has been implicated in chronic HPA axis activation. EAAs play a major role in neuroendocrine regulation. Hippocampal dendritic atrophy may involve alterations in EAA transporter function, and decreased EAA transporter function may also contribute to chronic HPA axis activation. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of HPA axis activation will likely advance the development of therapeutic interventions for conditions in which GC levels are chronically elevated.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
Inflammatory cytokines: putative regulators of neuronal and neuro-endocrine function.
The cytokines are a large and diverse family of polypeptide regulators with multiple regulatory functions that have been comprehensively evaluated in the immune system under strictly controlled experimental conditions. These peptide signals exhibit often unpredictable interactions when evaluated for their pathophysiological involvement in specific inflammatory conditions in vivo. In our joint efforts to understand the basis for early pathophysiological changes in the brains of HIV-infected subjects, we have developed animal models for lentivirus infections, and assessed the actions of various cytokines acutely on transmitter release properties in vitro, and in an in vivo transgenic mouse model. IL1beta, IL2, IL6, and IFNalpha will each enhance the release of AVP in slices of rat hypothalamus and amygdala. TGFbeta selectively blocks the ability of ACh to release AVP from hypothalamus or amygdala, but has no effects on the release stimulated by other cytokines. IFNalpha, but not TGFbeta will also activate CRH release; as with AVP, TGF selectively blocks the ACh-stimulated CRH release in both amygdala and hypothalamus. The IFNalpha-stimulated release of AVP and CRH appears to be mediated by cyclic GMP production, and this release by IFNalpha and IL-2 may be mediated in part by activation of constitutive nitric oxide synthase. These combined in vitro actions would suggest that cns cytokine actions should upregulate the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. In a transgenic mouse model with increased astrocytic expression and release of the cytokine IL6, the HPA axis is upregulated, but the effect seems attributable to adrenocortical hypersensitization to ACTH. Lastly, in studies of cytokine mediated effects on astrocytic uptake of the excitatory transmitter glutamate, the reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide and peroxynitrite, but not nitric oxide, inhibited glutamate uptake in a concentration-dependent manner. Although superoxide and nitric oxide had no effect by themselves on the rate of glutamate uptake by astrocytes, the same cultures did respond to nitric oxide with a sustained increase in cytoplasmic free calcium. Thus while reactive oxygen species do provide a potential path to neurotoxicity but one apparently not involving nitric oxide. These various data provide important opportunities for early therapeutic interventions in neuro-inflammatory states such as Neuro-AIDS.
Animals↗
Treatment of uveitis with recombinant human interleukin-13.
AIM: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-13 (IL-13) for the treatment of uveitis. METHODS: Uveitis was induced in monkeys by immunisation with human retinal S-antigen. Starting at the onset of disease, the animals were treated with IL-13 at 25 micrograms/kg, or vehicle control, injected subcutaneously once a day for 28 days. Intraocular inflammation was scored by indirect ophthalmoscopy for a period of 56 days. Circulating leucocyte levels were monitored. RESULTS: Uveitis started unilaterally in all but one animal. IL-13 inhibited inflammation both in the eyes in which the disease was present when the treatment was initiated (p = 0.0001), and in the contralateral initially negative eyes (p = 0.0001). After cessation of therapy, there was a progressive increase of inflammation in the IL-13 treated group. However, the beneficial effect of IL-13 extended into the 4 week follow up period. IL-13 produced an increase in circulating polymorphonuclear neutrophils and a decrease in lymphocytes. CONCLUSION: Administration of IL-13 appears to be a promising modality of treatment for severe uveitis.
Animals↗
Modulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function by transgenic expression of interleukin-6 in the CNS of mice.
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-6 receptor mRNA and protein have been reported in different brain regions under normal and pathophysiological conditions. Although much is known about the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stimulation after acute administration, less is known about the chronic effects of IL-6 on the function of the HPA axis. In the present study, we examined the function of the HPA axis in transgenic mice in which constitutive expression of IL-6 under the control of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) promoter was targeted to astrocytes in the CNS. GFAP-IL6 mice heterozygous or homozygous for the IL-6 transgene had normal basal plasma corticosterone levels but, after restraint stress, showed abnormally increased levels in a gene dose-dependent manner. The increased plasma corticosterone levels in the IL-6 transgenic mice were associated with increased adrenal corticosterone content and hyperplasia of both adrenal cortex and medulla. Notably, plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) levels and pituitary ACTH content were either not changed or decreased in these mice, whereas plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) was increased, supporting a role for AVP in response to acute immobilization stress. The reduced ACTH response together with the adrenal hyperplasia in the IL-6 transgenic mice suggests direct activation at the level of the adrenal gland that may be directly activated by AVP or sensitized to ACTH. A similar mechanism may play a role in the blunted ACTH response and elevated corticosterone levels under pathophysiological conditions observed in humans with high brain levels of IL-6.
Adrenal Glands↗
Dynamic regulation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase activity in mouse brain by environmental stimuli.
Activation of the recently identified c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) typically results in programmed cell death (apoptosis) in neurons and other cell types grown in culture. However, the effects of JNK activation in the central nervous system in vivo are unknown. At baseline, JNK activity in mice was on average 17-fold higher in brain than in peripheral organs, whereas JNK protein levels were similar. In brain, JNK was expressed primarily in neurons. Restraining mice or allowing them to explore a novel environment rapidly increased JNK activity 3- to 15-fold in various brain regions, but these manipulations did not increase brain activity of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase. Because noninvasive environmental stimuli that do not induce neurodegeneration elicited prominent increases in JNK activity in the brain, we conclude that acute activation of the JNK cascade in central nervous system neurons does not induce neuronal apoptosis in vivo. In contrast, the high baseline activity of JNK in the brain and the activation of the JNK cascade by environmental stimuli suggest that this kinase may play an important physiological role in neuronal function.
Animals↗
Corticotropin-releasing factor and adrenocorticotrophic hormone as potential central mediators of OB effects.
OB (leptin) has been identified as a factor that suppresses appetite and stimulates metabolism. Attention has focused on the hypothalamus as its potential site of action, but OB could also act on other brain regions. In addition, the paradox of high OB levels in obese humans remains unresolved. Here we show in mice that both the long and short form of the OB receptor are expressed not only in the hypothalamus but also in the amygdala and pituitary. Recombinant murine OB elicited the release of corticotropin-releasing factor from superfused brain slice preparations containing hypothalamus or amygdala. Because corticotropin-releasing factor inhibits appetite and stimulates metabolism, it may be a key mediator of central OB effects. Recombinant OB also induced pituitary release of adrenocorticotrophic hormone. Because adrenocorticotrophic hormone-induced elevation of plasma glucocorticoid levels can inhibit corticotropin-releasing factor release via negative feedback, the OB effects on pituitary adrenocorticotrophic hormone release may be pertinent to human obesity, which combines increased plasma glucocorticoid levels with elevated levels of OB. An imbalance between the effects of OB on corticotropin-releasing factor release from the hypothalamus and on adrenocorticotrophic hormone release from the pituitary could contribute to obesity.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
Humanized antibodies against the alpha-chain of the IL-2 receptor and against the beta-chain shared by the IL-2 and IL-15 receptors in a monkey uveitis model of autoimmune diseases.
We studied the efficacy and tolerance of humanized Ab interfering with the signal of the IL-2 and IL-15 receptors in a primate model of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis. The inhibitory effects of humanized anti-Tac (HAT), an anti-IL-2R alpha-chain Ab, and HuMik beta1, an Ab directed at the beta-chain shared by the receptors of IL-2 and IL-15, were tested in culture on the proliferative response of monkey Con A-blast lymphocytes stimulated with IL-2 or IL-15. Uveitis was induced in cynomolgus monkeys by immunization with human recombinant retinal S-antigen. Treatment was initiated at the first sign of disease and consisted of HAT and HuMik beta1, alone or in combination, or vehicle control given by i.v. injection twice a week for 4 wk. Disease was evaluated by ocular funduscopy. The results in culture showed a significant dose-dependent inhibition of the IL-2-driven proliferation of lymphocytes by HAT. HuMik beta1 alone was ineffective against IL-2 stimulation, but had a marked potentiating effect in combination with HAT, independent of IL-15 signaling. IL-15-driven proliferation was inhibited by HuMik beta1, but not by HAT alone or in combination. In monkeys, experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis evolution was significantly inhibited by HAT treatment. HuMik beta1 alone had no effect on the disease. However, when used in combination, the two Ab markedly reduced the severity of ocular inflammation. The Ab were well tolerated. Only three monkeys, treated with HAT alone, made an Ab response against the injected Ab.
Animals↗
Coloboma hyperactive mutant mice exhibit regional and transmitter-specific deficits in neurotransmission.
The mouse mutant coloboma (Cm/+), which exhibits profound spontaneous hyperactivity and bears a deletion mutation on chromosome 2, including the gene encoding synaptosomal protein SNAP-25, has been proposed to model aspects of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Increasing evidence suggests a crucial role for SNAP-25 in the release of both classical neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. In the present study, we compared the release of specific neurotransmitters in vitro from synaptosomes and slices of selected brain regions from Cm/+ mice with that of +/+ mice. The release of dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) from striatum, and of arginine vasopressin and corticotropin-releasing factor from hypothalamus and amygdala is calcium-dependent. Glutamate release from and content in cortical synaptosomes of Cm/+ mice are greatly reduced, which might contribute to the learning deficits in these mutants. In dorsal striatum of Cm/+ mutants, but not ventral striatum, KCl-induced release of DA is completely blocked and that of 5-HT is significantly attenuated, suggesting that striatal DA and 5-HT deficiencies may be involved in hyperactivity. Further, although acetylcholine failed to induce hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor release from Cm/+ slices, restraint stress increased plasma corticosterone levels in Cm/+ mice to a significantly higher level than in +/+ mice, suggesting an important role for arginine vasopressin in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation. These results suggest that reduced SNAP-25 expression may contribute to a region-specific and neurotransmitter-specific deficiency in neurotransmitter release.
Acetylcholine↗
Central nervous system expression of HIV-1 Gp120 activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: evidence for involvement of NMDA receptors and nitric oxide synthase.
The impact of HIV-1 expression in the brain on the development of AIDS is unknown. In the present study, we examined the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in a transgenic model in which expression of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 induced central nervous system (CNS) damage similar to that seen in HIV-1-infected patients. Compared with nontransgenic littermates, gp120 transgenic mice showed significant increases in plasma corticosterone and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) levels and pituitary ACTH content. To determine whether this activation of the HPA axis could be mediated by ACTH secretagogues, the effect of recombinant gp120 on the release of these factors from hypothalamic slices was investigated in vitro. Recombinant gp120 induced release of the ACTH secretagogue arginine vasopressin from nontransgenic hypothalamic slices in a calcium-dependent fashion. This effect was inhibited by antagonists of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors or of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), suggesting a role for NMDA receptor stimulation and NOS activity. Further evidence for a role of free radicals was obtained from bigenic mice coexpressing gp120 and the free radical scavenger human copper/zinc superoxide dismutase which showed normal corticosterone levels. This might relate to superoxide dismutase-mediated scavenging of superoxides generated by NOS. These findings demonstrate that CNS expression of a viral envelope protein can activate the HPA axis and thereby alter peripheral levels of immunomodulatory hormones.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
Arginine vasopressin release by acetylcholine or norepinephrine: region-specific and cytokine-specific regulation.
Interferon-alpha and transforming growth factor-beta 1 have been detected in the brain, suggesting their possible regulatory functions. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of these cytokines on the in vitro release of arginine vasopressin, previously reported to be sensitive to neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, norepinephrine, and corticotropin releasing hormone as well as to cytokines interleukin-1 and interleukin-2. Interferon-alpha was found to enhance arginine vasopressin release from both hypothalamus and amygdala, as was dibutyryl cyclic GMP. Blockade of nitric oxide synthase antagonized the interferon-alpha induced arginine vasopressin release from the amygdala but not from the hypothalamus. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 had no effect on basal release of arginine vasopressin, nor on the arginine vasopressin-release induced by interferon-alpha, interleukin-2 or norepinephrine, but selectively blocked the acetylcholine-induced release in both hypothalamus and amygdala. When the release of arginine vasopressin induced by interferon-alpha, interleukin-2, acetylcholine and norepinephrine was probed with inhibitors of guanylate cyclase, the interactions exhibited regional selectivity: neither the interleukin-2-induced arginine vasopressin release from hypothalamus, nor the norepinephrine-induced release of arginine vasopressin from either amygdala or hypothalamus was affected by guanylate cyclase inhibitors, but all other arginine vasopressin releasers were blocked. Taken with previous reports that interferon-alpha will enhance hypothalamic corticotropin releasing hormone release, our results suggest that arginine vasopressin release enhanced by interferon-alpha may also contribute to the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, while the ability of transforming growth factor-beta 1 to diminish the arginine vasopressin released by acetylcholine could mediate some of this cytokine's central effects. The extension of these neurotransmitter-cytokine interactions to the amygdala may provide an additional basis for interactions between neuronal and immune systems.
Acetylcholine↗
Increase of extracellular corticotropin-releasing factor-like immunoreactivity levels in the amygdala of awake rats during restraint stress and ethanol withdrawal as measured by microdialysis.
Previous research has suggested a role for corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the anxiogenic effects of stressful stimuli and ethanol withdrawal. This hypothesis was explored in a series of experiments using intracranial microdialysis to monitor CRF-like immunoreactivity (CRF-IR) in the extracellular compartment of the rat amygdala. The synaptic origin of CRF-IR release in the amygdala was determined in vitro by assessing the Ca2+ dependency of 4-aminopyridine stimulated CRF-IR release from tissue preparations of rat amygdala. In vivo experiments were performed in awake rats after the placement of microdialysis probes in the amygdala. In the first experiment, transient restraint stress (20 min) produced an increase of CRF-IR release (basal levels, 1.19 +/- 0.15 fmol/50 microliters; stress levels, 4.54 +/- 1.33 fmol/50 microliters; p < 0.05) that returned to basal values within 1 hr. When 4-aminopyridine (5 mM) was added to the perfusion medium, it consistently increased CRF-IR release (4.83 +/- 0.92 fmol/50 microliters, p < 0.05). In the second experiment, CRF-IR release was measured during ethanol withdrawal in rats previously maintained for 2-3 weeks on a liquid diet containing ethanol (8.5%). Basal CRF-IR levels were 2.10 +/- 0.43 fmol/50 microliters in ethanol exposed rats and 1.30 +/- 0.19 fmol/50 microliters in control rats. During withdrawal, a progressive increase of CRF-IR levels over time was observed, reaching peak values at 10-12 hr after the onset of withdrawal (10.65 +/- 0.49 fmol/50 microliters vs 1.15 +/- 0.30 fmol/50 microliters of control rats, p < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Amygdala↗
Interleukin-2 (IL-2) induces corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) release from the amygdala and involves a nitric oxide-mediated signaling; comparison with the hypothalamic response.
Interleukin-2 (IL-2)-like immunoreactivity and IL-2 receptor immunoreactivity have been reported in different brain regions, under normal and pathophysiological conditions. IL-2 stimulates hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) release and that of pituitary adrenocorticotropin. The amygdala, known to contain high levels of CRF, is involved in stress-related reactions, including regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. IL-2 will release AVP from both the hypothalamus and the amygdala, which further supports a role for cytokine effects in the amygdala in neuroimmune interactions. In the present study, we compared the effects of IL-2, acetylcholine and norepinephrine on the in vitro release of CRF from the amygdala or hypothalamus. In addition, we used these release systems to evaluate the possible involvement of nitric oxide (NO)-mediated signaling in CRF release. IL-2 stimulates CRF release in both regions, in a calcium- and dose-dependent manner. Nitroprusside, an NO generator, also induces CRF release. This IL-2-induced CRF release is antagonized by Ng-methyl-L-arginine and hemoglobin, known NO antagonists. Finally, norepinephrine and acetylcholine induce CRF release. The norepinephrine-induced CRF release is antagonized by phentolamine and propanolol and the acetylcholine-induced release by atropine and mecamylamine, which suggests the involvement of both alpha and beta adrenergic receptors and both muscarinic and nicotinic receptors. The acetylcholine-induced CRF release is antagonized by Ng-methyl-L-arginine, but the norepinephrine-induced response is not. These data support the suggestion that the amygdala may participate in communications between the neuroendocrine and immune systems.
Acetylcholine↗
IL-1 beta potentiates the acetylcholine-induced release of vasopressin from the hypothalamus in vitro, but not from the amygdala.
In addition to the magnocellular hypothalamic nuclei, arginine vasopressin (AVP)-containing neurons have also been identified in limbic structures, including the hippocampus and amygdala. In the present study, we compared the qualitative properties of the in vitro release of AVP from the dissected hypothalamus with the in vitro release from the dissected amygdala and used these release systems to evaluate the interactions with neurotransmitters and cytokines. The areas of the paraventricular nucleus and supraoptic nucleus that contain the AVP neurons and that receive cholinergic innervation are also interleukin (IL)-1 beta immunoreactive. Acetylcholine or high KCl (60 mM) induces AVP release in both regions, and the AVP release is calcium dependent. Acetylcholine-induced AVP release is antagonized by atropine or mecamylamine, indicating that both muscarinic and nicotinic receptors are mediating the cholinergic effect in these brain regions. IL-1 beta (100 U/ml) had no effect on the basal AVP release from the hypothalamus, but significantly potentiated the acetylcholine-induced AVP release, lowering the threshold from 500 to 100 nM. This effect was completely blocked in the presence of neutralizing antibodies to IL-1 beta, atropine (10 microM) or mecamylamine (10 microM). IL-6, like IL-1 beta, also potentiated acetylcholine-induced AVP release, but to a lesser extent. Neither tumor necrosis factor-alpha nor interferon-gamma had any effect on the basal or acetylcholine-induced AVP release from the hypothalamus. None of the cytokines tested had any effect on the basal or acetylcholine-induced AVP release from the amygdala. Our results suggest a hypothalamic site of action of IL-1 beta and IL-6 on the acetylcholine-induced AVP release. The stimulatory effects of IL-1 and IL-6 on adrenocorticotropin release have been ascribed to an increased release of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). These data further suggest that, in addition to CRF, AVP plays a role in the bidirectional communication between neuroendoc ine and immune systems. Understanding the mode of interaction between IL-1 beta and IL-6 with AVP could clarify pathophysiologic or toxic effects of high brain levels of these cytokines.
Acetylcholine↗