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Biomedical subjects

R L Singhal

Publications and source records attributed to R L Singhal.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Prevention by zinc of cadmium-induced alterations in pancreatic and hepatic functions.

Subacute cadmium treatment (CdCl2, 1 mg/kg twice daily for 7 days) in rats disturbs glucose homeostasis as shown by hyperglycemia and decreased glucose tolerance associated with suppression of insulin release, enhancement of hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes and decrease in hepatic glycogen content. 2 Exposure to cadmium increases hepatic cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) and this is accompanied by stimulation of basal, adrenaline- as well as glucagon-stimulated form(s) of adenylate cyclase. 3 In contrast to cadmium, subacute administration of zinc (ZnCl2, 2 mg/kg twice daily for 7 days) fails to alter the activities of hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes, cyclic AMP synthesis, as well as glucose clearance and insulin release in response to a glucose load. 4 Zinc, when administered at the same time as cadmium, prevents the cadmium-induced lesions in both hepatic and pancreatic functions. 5 The results are discussed in relation to the possible mechanisms of cadmium toxicity and to the role of sulphydryl groups in the protection exercised by zinc.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1976

Effects of isoproterenol on cyclic-AMP metabolism in rat ventral prostate.

Beta-Adrenergic stimulation of the ventral prostate cyclic-AMP system was investigated by examining the influence of isoproterenol on endogenous cyclic-AMP levels as well as on the activities of adenylate cyclase CEC 4.6.1.1) and cyclic-AMP-dependent and independent protein kinases (EC 2.7.1.37). Administration of isoproterenol (1 mg/kg, ip) resulted in rapid elevation of adenylate cyclase activity (119%) and cyclic-AMP levels (593%). The observed isoproterenol-stimulated changes in cyclic-AMP metabolism of the ventral prostate were time-dependent and maximal stimulation was seen 5 min after treatment with this beta-adrenergic agonist. The increases in prostatic adenylate cyclase and cyclic-AMP also were related to the dose of isoproterenol administered and maximal enhancement of these parameters was seen with 1 mg/kg dose of the agonist. Whereas pretreatment of rats with propranolol (3mg/kg, ip) partially reversed these alterations, administration of an alpha-adrenergic antagonist, phentolamine, even at a dose of 5 mg/kg, failed to elicit any appreciable effect. Stimulation of prostatic soluble protein kinase by isoproterenol was associated with a decrease (33%) in the activity of the cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase with a concomitant increase (25%) in that of the independent enzyme. Whereas the ability of the enzyme to bind cyclic-(3H) AMP in vitro was decreased (54%) following isoproterenol treatment, the protein kinase activity ratio (-cyclic-AMP/+cyclic AMP) was significantly elevated from 0.51+/0.05 to 0.95+/0.08. Although propranolol alone had little or no effect on these parameters, it inhibited partially the isoproterenol-induced alterations in cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase and the cyclic-AMP binding capacity. Treatment with propranolol also blocked the increases in the kinase activity ratio and in the activity of cyclic-AMP-independent enzyme seen with isoproterenol. Data suggest that the concentration of ventral prostate cyclic-AMP as well as the activities of adenylate cyclase and cyclic-AMP-dependent and independent form of protein kinases are subject to modulation by beta-adrenergic stimulation.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1976

Changes in brain catecholamines and spontaneous locomotor activity in response to thyrotropin releasing hormone.

Repeated exposure of rats to thyrotropin releasing hormone produced a dose- and time-dependent increase in spontaneous locomotor activity accompanied by an increase in brain stem tyrosine hydroxylase. Dopamine levels in cerebral cortex were increased maximally by 34% in animals receiving thyrotropin releasing hormone at a dosage of 2 mg/kg for 10 days. The concentrations of brain stem tyrosine and cerebral cortex norepinephrine remained unaltered in response to thyrotropin releasing hormone treatment. Our data suggest that administration of thyrotropin releasing hormone increases the synthesis and perhaps the turnover of brain catecholamines and that this may constitute an underlying mechanism for the anti-depressant action of this synthetic hormone.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Aspects of the biochemical toxicology of cadmium.

Cadmium, in addition to producing a variety of toxic manifestations, is known to accumulate in certain "target" organs which include liver and kidney where histological and functional damage becomes apparent. The daily intraperitoneal injection of cadmium chloride for 21 or 45 days stimulated the activities of hepatic pyruvate carboxylase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, fructose-1, 6-diphosphatase and glucose-6-phosphatase elevated blood glucose and urea, and lowered hepatic glycogen in rats. Whereas chronic Cd treatment failed to alter adenosine-3', 5'-monophosphate phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity, cyclic AMP (cAMY and the activity of basal and fluoride-stimulated forms of hepatic adenylate cyclase (AC) were markedly increased. However, the cAMP binding to hepatic protein kinase was decreased as was the kinase activity ration. An acute dose of Cd decreased hepatic glycogen content and increased blood glucose, serum urea, and hepatic cAMP. Chronic exposure to Cd induced adrenal hypertrophy and augmented adrenal norepinephrine and epinephrine as well as the activity of adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase. This treatment decreased prostatic and testicular weights of mature rats. Although cAMP as well as AC activity of the prostate gland were reduced, cAMP binding to the prostatic protein kinase was increased as was the activity of the cAMP-dependent form of the enzyme. Testicular AC and PDE activities, however, were stimulated, although cAMP remained unaffected. Whereas the activities of the cAMP-dependent and the independent forms of testicular protein kinase were significantly depressed, the binding of cAMP to protein kinase from testes of Cd-treated rats was not affected. In most cases, the observed metabolic alterations persisted up to 28 days on cessation of Cd administration. Subacute Cd treatment suppressed pancreatic function as evidenced by lowered serum immunoreactive insulin (IRI) in presence of hyperglycemia, as well as by partial inhibition of phentolamine-stimulated increases in serum IRI. Although chronic Cd treatment failed to alter the concentration of brain stem norepinephrine and cerebrocortical acetylcholine esterase activity, serotonin levels of brain stem were depressed and the concentration of striatal dopamine and cerebrocortical acetylcholine were significantly elevated when compared with the values seen in control nonexposed animals.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1976

Androgenic effects on protein kinases and cyclic AMP-binding protein in the ventral prostate.

Androgenic deprivation resulted in marked impairment of prostate weight and significant alterations in cytosolic and particulate protein kinase activities and cyclic AMP-binding capacity of this tissue. Whereas rats orchidectomized for 7 days exhibited significant enhancement in the specific activity of cytosolic cyclic AMP-dependent (73%) and -independent (45%) protein kinases as well as cyclic AMP-binding protein (196%), administration of testosterone (5.0 mg/100 g, i.m., 5 days) exerted little or no effect in reversing these responses. In contrast, when expressed as total enzyme activity per prostate, castration led to marked decreases in protein kinase activity assayed in the presence (87%) and absence of the cyclic nucleotide (91%). Likewise, the cyclic AMP-binding capacity of the soluble enzyme was depressed (77%) following androgenic deprivation. Although testosterone treatment for 3 days significantly reversed these effects, complete restoration was not achieved even after 5 days of androgen replacement therapy. Moreover, while exogenous cyclic AMP had no effect on protein kinase activity from crude nuclear preparations, the phosphorylation of endogenous nuclear substrates was dependent on androgenic status of the animals. Whereas castration produced decreases in the specific and total activity of prostatic particulate protein kinase as well as the cyclic AMP-binding protein, testosterone replenishment was effective in abolishing these alterations seen in orchidectomized rats. Data from the present study provide additional support to the concept that changes in cyclic AMP-adenylate cyclase-protein kinase system play an important role in the overall mechanism(s) by which male sex steroids exert their diverse anabolic effects on male accessory sex tissues.

Androgens↗
PubMed1976

Effect of narcotic dependence and withdrawal on striatal dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase and synaptosomal cyclic AMP metabolism.

In rats rendered tolerant to the dependent on morphine, striatal cyclic AMP metabolism was significantly enhanced as reflected by elevated cyclic AMP levels and adenylate cyclase activity. Following withdrawal from morphine treatment, whereas the activity of straital adenylate cyclase was significantly reduced when compared to morphine-dependent rats, the drop in cyclic AMP was not significant. Although addition of dopamine (40 muM) stimulated equally well the striatal adenylate cyclase from control or morphine-dependent animals, the activity of dopamine-stimulated enzyme was blocked in animals undergoing withdrawal. The crude synaptosomal fraction of the whole brain obtained from morphine-dependent rats exhibited an even more pronounced increase in cyclic AMP which was accompanied by elevated adenylate cyclase and protein kinase activity. Naloxone administration suppressed this rise in cyclic AMP and reversed the morphine-stimulated increases in adenylate cyclase and protein kinase. Following the withdrawal of morphine treatment, alterations in cyclic AMP metabolism were similar to those noted for the morphine-naloxone group.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1976

Influence of neonatal and adult hyperthyroidism on behavior and biosynthetic capacity for norepinephrine, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine in rat brain.

In neonatal rats, administration of l-triiodothyronine (10 mug/100 g/day) for 30 days presented signs of hyperthyroidism which included accelerated development of a variety of physical and behavioral characteristics accompanying maturation. The spontaneous motor activity was increased by 69%. Exposure of developing rats to thyroid hormone significantly increased the endogenous concentration of striatal tyrosine and the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase as well as the levels of dopamine in several brain regions. The concentration of striatal homovanillic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, the chief metabolites of dopamine, was also increased and the magnitude of change was greater than the rise in dopamine. Despite increases in the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase and the availability of the substrate tyrosine, the steady-state levels of norepinephrine remained unaltered in various regions of brain except in cerebellum. Futhermore, neonatal hyperthyroidism significantly increased the levels of midbrain tryptophan and tryptophan hydroxylase activity but produced no change in 5-hydroxytryptamine levels of several discrete brain regions, except hypothalamus and cerebellum where its concentration was slightly decreased. However, the 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels were enhanced in hypothalamus, ponsmedulla, midbrain, striatum and hippocampus. The elevated levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid did not seem to be due to increased intraneuronal deamination of 5-hydroxytryptamine since monoamine oxidase activity was not affected in cerebral cortex and midbrain of hyperthyroid rats. The data demonstrate that hyperthyroidism significantly increased the synthesis as well as the utilization of catecholamines and 5-hydroxytryptamine in maturing brain. Since the mature brain is known to respond differently to thyroid hormone action than does the developing brain, the effect of L-triiodothyronine treatment on various putative neurohumors also was examined in adult rats. Whereas administration of l-triiodothyronine (10 mug/100 g/day) for 30 days to 120-day-old rats increased the levels of tyrosine by 23% and of tryptophan by 43%, no appreciable change was noted in tryptophan hydroxylase activity. In contrast to neonatal hyperthyroidism, excess of thyroid hormone in adult rats failed to produce any change in motor activity and tended to decrease striatal tyrosine hydroxylase activity only slightly. The concentration of dopamine remained unchanged in all regions of the brain except in midbrain where it rose by 19%. Whereas norepinephrine concentration was altered in hypothalamus, pons-medulla and midbrain, the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine and its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, were significantly decreased in striatum and cerebellum. Since dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons are the critical components of the motor system, the possibility exists that elevated behavioral activity in young L-triiodothyronine-treated animals might be associated with increased turnover of catecholamines in neuronal tissue.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Effects of chronic exposure to cadmium, lead and mercury of brain biogenic amines in the rat.

Effects of chronic (45 days) treatment with different doses of cadmium chloride (0.25 and 1.0 mg/kg/day), methylmercury chloride (0.4 and 4.0 mg/kg/day) and lead acetate (0.2 and 1.0 mg/kg/day) and of 28-day withdrawal of treatment on the levels of acetylcholine (ACh) and activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in cerebral cortex, and concentration of norepinephrine (NE) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in brain-stem were examined in rats. Exposure to both cadmium and methylmercury produced significant decreases in cortical ACh and brain-stem 5-HT levels. In addition, brain-stem NE concentration was increased in methylmercury-treated rats. In contrast, chronic treatment with lead resulted in enhanced cerebrocortical ACh levels but a decreased brain-stem NE concentration. Treatment with cadmium also produced a transient enhancement of striatal dopamine levels. Cadmium-induced decrease in brain-stem 5-HT and lead-induced accumulation of cortical ACh persisted even after 28 day withdrawal of treatment. The data indicate that chronic exposure to low doses of heavy metals produces differential changes in regional levels of various brain biogenic amines. These changes may represent the early signs of adverse effects on CNS function since they occur before any overt symptoms of neurotoxic effects of heavy metals become apparent.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1975

Influence of chronic exposure to cadmium on hepatic and renal cyclic AMP-protein kinase system.

Daily intraperitoneal injection of cadmium chloride (0.25 or 1 mg/kg) to rats for 45 days significantly elevated the endogenous levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP) in hepatic tissue. However, the cAMP binding to hepatic protein kinase was decreased following cadmium administration, as was the kinase activity ratio. Although both doses of cadmium produced slight alterations in the cAMP-independent form of hepatic protein kinase, only the 1.0 mg/kg dose significantly depressed (24%) the activity of the cAMP-dependent enzyme. In contrast to liver, chronic exposure to cadmium significantly reduced the endogenous cAMP levels in kidney cortex. Although treatment with the lower dose (0.25 mg/kg) failed to alter either the cAMP-binding capacity of the renal enzyme or the kinase activity ratio, the higher dose (1 mg/kg) of cadmium did cause a significant increase in both parameters. In addition, cadmium treatment produced a significant decrease in both the cAMP-dependent and the independent forms of protein kinase in kidney cortex. Data suggest that the concentration of cAMP as well as its interaction with cAMP-dependent and independent forms of protein kinase, are altered in both kidney and liver following the prolonged exposure to cadmium.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Effect of chronic cadmium treatment on rat adrenal catecholamines.

Daily intraperitoneal injection of cadmium chloride (1 mg/kg) for 45 days significantly increased adrenal weights and augmented the levels of adrenal norepinephrine and epinephrine as well as the activity of adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase. Discontinuation of the heavy metal treatment for 28 days, in rats previously injected with cadmium for 45 days, restored the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase as well as the amount of norepinephrine and epinephrine. In contrast, adrenal weights were restored only partially following the withdrawal of cadmium treatment. Evidence indicates that the changes in adrenal catecholamine metabolism may be the result of stress induced by chronic exposure to this heavy metal. In addition, some of the untoward effects such as hyperglycemia and arterial hypertension seen during cadmium toxicity might be related to increased synthesis of epinephrine in adrenal glands.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1975

Response of hepatic carbohydrate and cyclic AMP metabolism to cadmium treatment in rats.

Daily intraperitoneal injection of cadmium chloride (0.25 or 1 mg/kg) for 21 or 45 days into rats significantly stimulated the activities of hepatic pyruvate carboxylase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, fructose-1, 6-diphosphatase, and glucose-6-phosphatase, increased the concentrations of glucose and urea in the blood, and decreased the levels of glycogen in the liver. Whereas chronic cadmium treatment failed to alter adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate phosphodiesterase (phosphodiesterase) activity, the endogenous levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP) and the activity of basal- and fluoride-stimulated forms of hepatic adenylate cyclase (AC) were markedly increased in cadmium-injected animals. Treatment with the higher dose (1.0 mg/kg) of cadmium chloride for 45 days produced greater metabolic alterations in hepatic tissue than those seen with the lower dose (0.25 mg/kg) given for a shorter period of time (21 days). Discontinuation of cadmium administration for 14 days in rats previously injected with cadmium chloride (1 mg/kg per day) for 21 days, failed to reverse the observed changes in hepatic cAMP or carbohydrate metabolism. A similar persistence of metabolic alterations was noted in rats treated with cadmium (1 mg/kg per day) for 45 days and subsequently maintained without additional treatment for 28 days. Administration of an acute dose of cadmium chloride (60 mg/kg) decreased hepatic phosphodiesterase activity and glycogen content 1 h after the injection. In addition, acute cadmium exposure increased blood glucose, serum urea, and hepatic cAMP levels, and produced an augmentation of basal- and fluoride-activated AC. However, the activities of various hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes remained unaffected in animals given an acute dose of cadmium chloride (60 mg/kg). Data provide evidence that suggests that the gluconeogenic potential of liver is markedly enhanced following chronic exposure to cadmium and that the cadmium-induced changes in carbohydrate metabolism may be associated with an enhanced synthesis of cAMP. In addition, the present study shows that the cadmium-induced metabolic alterations persist even after the cessation of cadmium treatment for a period of 28 days.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1975

Ontogenic pattern of dopamine, acetylcholine, and acetylcholinesterase in the brains of normal and hypothyroid rats.

The influence of neonatal thyroidectomy (Tx) on developmental changes in dopamine (DA), acetylcholine (ACh), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was studied in the whole brain of rats. In control animals, brain levels of ACh gradually increased and attained adult values at the 70th day. In contrast, AChE activity showed a rapid increase between the 7th and 30th days. Levels of DA were low during the early postnatal life but markedly increased to reach adult values of 1.47 mug/g at the 30th day, after which no further enhancement was noted. Neonatal Tx interfered with the normal growth of the animals, decreased brain weights, and markedly influenced the developmental pattern of both DA and ACh in the brain. The concentration of DA in 30-day-old hypothyroid rats was 46% of the control values. In contrast, brain ACh levels in Tx rats were consistently above those seen in controls, being significantly higher, by 49 and 64%, at 15 and 30 days, respectively. Activity of AChE in brains of hypothyroid animals was not significantly different from that in controls. Treatment of Tx rats with thyroid hormone virtually restored the levels of DA and ACh to values in control animals.

Acetylcholine↗