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Biomedical subjects

S M Gabriel

Publications and source records attributed to S M Gabriel.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Galanin-like immunoreactivity is unchanged in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease dementia cerebral cortex.

Galanin is a recently isolated neuropeptide that is of particular interest in dementing disorders because of its known colocalization with choline acetyltransferase in magnocellular neurons of the basal nucleus of Meynert. These neurons degenerate in Alzheimer's disease, and there is a corresponding deficiency of cortical choline acetyltransferase activity. In the present study, galanin-like immunoreactivity was measured in the postmortem cerebral cortex and hippocampus of 10 controls and 14 patients who had had Alzheimer's disease. Significant reductions of choline acetyltransferase activity (50-60%) were found in all regions examined; however, there was no significant effect on concentrations of galanin-like immunoreactivity. Similar measurements were made in postmortem tissues of 12 control and 13 demented Parkinsonian patients who had had Alzheimer-type cortical pathology. Choline acetyltransferase activity was again significantly decreased in all regions examined but there were no significant reductions in galanin-like immunoreactivity. Experimental lesions of the fornix in rats produced parallel significantly correlated reductions of both choline acetyltransferase activity and galanin-like immunoreactivity in the hippocampus. Galanin-like immunoreactivity in the human hypothalamus consisted of two molecular-weight species on gel-permeation chromatography, and two forms were resolved by reverse-phase HPLC. The paradoxical preservation of galanin-like immunoreactivity, despite depletion of the activity of choline acetyltransferase, with which it is colocalized, is as yet unexplained. Recent studies have shown that galanin inhibits both acetylcholine release in the hippocampus and memory acquisition; therefore, preserved galanin may exacerbate the cholinergic and cognitive deficits that accompany dementia.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Chronic morphine and testosterone treatment. Effects on sexual behavior and dopamine metabolism in male rats.

The effects of sustained delivery of morphine and/or testosterone (T) on male rat copulatory behavior, penile reflexes and dopaminergic metabolism in selected brain regions were examined. Castration was followed by (1) a decrease in the number of male rats exhibiting intromissive and ejaculatory behavior in mating tests, (2) decreased erections in ex copula tests, and (3) increases in dopamine and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) concentrations in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) and the preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus (POA-AH). The decreased incidence of copulatory behavior and penile reflexes seen after castration was effectively prevented by a 4-day treatment with 5-mm T-containing Silastic capsules. Chronic morphine implants, conversely, accentuated the castration-induced decrements in copulatory behavior and prevented the 5-mm-T-induced facilitation, but did not alter the number of animals displaying erection (although the number of erections displayed by testosterone-treated rats was reduced) in ex copula tests. Treatment of castrated rats with 5 mm T, but not morphine alone, nor the combination of 5 mm T plus morphine, significantly reduced dopamine and DOPAC levels in the MBH. In the POA-AH, 5 mm T was without effect, whereas morphine, alone or in combination with 5 mm T, reduced the levels of dopamine and DOPAC. These data suggest that (1) the decline in sexual behavior induced by chronic morphine is primarily due to a failure of sexual arousal, and not of erectile ability, and (2) although the decline in sexual activity seen after castration is associated with alterations in dopaminergic metabolism, the effects of morphine and testosterone on sexual activity are opposite and dissociated from alterations in dopaminergic metabolism.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed1987

Chronic morphine treatment enhances the negative and positive feedback effects of estradiol on gonadotropin secretion in ovariectomized rats.

Studies were undertaken to evaluate the effects of chronic morphine exposure on the negative and positive feedback effects of estradiol (E2) on LH and FSH secretion in ovariectomized rats. Two days of E2 exposure reduced at 1000 h and stimulated at 1600 h the serum LH concentration at each dose tested. Chronic exposure (4 days) to morphine enhanced both the inhibitory effects of E2 on LH secretion at 1000 h and E2 induction of the midafternoon surge in LH. A detailed time course of the afternoon LH response to E2 revealed that chronic morphine exposure advanced its time of onset and increased its magnitude. The response of FSH to E2 and the interaction between E2 and morphine on FSH secretion were similar to those observed for LH, albeit lower in magnitude. With extension of the E2 exposure period from 2 to 4 days, the synergistic interaction between E2 and morphine persisted for the negative, but not the positive, feedback action on LH. Chronic morphine exposure in ovariectomized rats, without E2 replacement, was ineffective in altering the LH levels at 1000 h, but had a slight stimulatory effect on LH at 1600 h, indicating an E2 requirement for the observed suppression and stimulation of LH in the morning and afternoon, respectively. The response of the anterior pituitary to exogenously administered LHRH in the morning (1000 h) and during the midafternoon hypersecretion of LH (1800 h) was markedly enhanced in animals exposed chronically to morphine. Thus, the chronic stimulation of opiate receptors with morphine enhances the inhibition and subsequent hypersecretion of LH in E2-exposed rats, advances the time of onset and enhances the magnitude of the E2-induced LH surge, and augments the response to LHRH when LH levels are low in the morning and during the E2-induced hypersecretion of LH. These data support an important role for opioid neuronal systems in the mechanism that switches the E2 signal for gonadotropin secretion from inhibitory to stimulatory and, hence, in the series of neuronal events that leads to phasic secretion of gonadotropins.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

A decline in endogenous opioid influence during the steroid-induced hypersecretion of luteinizing hormone in the rat.

Studies were undertaken to evaluate the influence of endogenous opioid peptides (EOP) on the LH hypersecretion induced in ovariectomized rats by estradiol benzoate (EB) or EB plus progesterone (EBP). Naloxone (0.1-15.0 mg/kg) was injected before (1200 h) and during (1400 and 1530 h) the LH surge induced by EBP treatment and during the LH surge after EB treatment (1600 h). The opiate antagonist readily stimulated LH secretion before the LH surge in EBP-treated rats at 1200 h and during the LH surge in EB-treated rats at 1600 h, but was much less effective during the LH hypersecretion induced by EBP treatment at 1400 and 1530 h. This decline in the LH secretory response to naloxone during the EBP-induced LH surge was not due to changes in the response of pituitary to LHRH. These studies indicate that during the period of LH hypersecretion induced by the sequential administration of EB plus P, the influence of EOP neuronal systems on LH secretion is diminished. Thus, EOP neurons may play a role in the timing and magnitude of the LH surge in EBP-treated rats.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

The influence of chronic morphine treatment on the negative feedback regulation of gonadotropin secretion by gonadal steroids.

The influence of continuous stimulation of opiate receptors with morphine (M) on the negative feedback effects of testosterone (T), 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and 17 beta-estradiol (E2) on LH and FSH secretion was studied in rats that had been castrated 2 weeks previously. In the absence of gonadal steroids, 4 days of continuous M exposure did not alter LH or FSH levels. Similarly, Silastic capsules containing crystalline T (5 mm) or E2 [5 mm long (75 micrograms E2/ml) to 7.5 mm long (300 micrograms E2/ml)] alone had little effect on LH or FSH release. However, in M-exposed rats, T reduced serum LH by greater than 90%, and E2 reduced LH by more than 75%. Among the doses of DHT evaluated, only the highest dose (7.5-mm Silastic capsules packed with crystalline DHT) reduced LH secretion, and M exposure only slightly enhanced this suppression. M or gonadal steroids alone produced little change in FSH levels in castrated rats. However, the combination of M plus E2 or DHT further reduced FSH levels. Evaluation of pituitary responses to LHRH revealed that when administered alone, T did not alter, DHT reduced, and E2 enhanced the LH response to the decapeptide. Neither M treatment alone nor M plus T or DHT altered the pituitary LH response to LHRH. On the other hand, M appeared to enhance the stimulatory effects of E2 on pituitary responsiveness to LHRH. These findings suggest that the interaction of M and gonadal steroids at the level of the pituitary could not explain the observed marked suppression of gonadotropin secretion by suboptimal T or E2 during opiate receptor stimulation with M. Collectively, these observations are in accord with the view that endogenous opioid peptides may play a role in modulating the sensitivity of the hypothalamus to the negative feedback effects of gonadal steroids.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Changes in anterior pituitary hormone secretion and hypothalamic catecholamine metabolism during morphine withdrawal in the female rat.

Studies were undertaken to evaluate the acute responses of hypothalamic noradrenergic and dopaminergic neurons and anterior pituitary hormones to naloxone (NAL)-precipitated morphine (MOR) withdrawal in the rat. Ovariectomized female rats were rendered MOR-dependent and injected with NAL (1 mg/kg b.w., s.c.). During precipitated MOR withdrawal, a decline in norepinephrine (NE) concentrations was preceded by an increase in the level of its metabolite normetanephrine (NME) in the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) as well as the preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus (POA-AH). Both dopamine (DA) and its major acid metabolite, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), showed increased concentrations in these two hypothalamic regions within 30 min of NAL administration. Elevated luteinizing hormone (LH) and beta-endorphin secretion was evident within 5 min of NAL injection to MOR-dependent rats, while serum prolactin (PRL) increased 15 min into MOR withdrawal. Both growth hormone (GH) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were depressed over the course of MOR withdrawal. Although a cause and effect relationship cannot be established, during NAL-precipitated MOR withdrawal, a heightened hypothalamic monoaminergic neuronal activity is accompanied by a differential response of anterior pituitary hormones. The observed responses, which are similar to those seen during acute stress, indicate that MOR withdrawal may activate the same mechanisms which mediate the neuroendocrine response to stress.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Chronic morphine treatment induces hypersensitivity to testosterone-negative feedback in castrated male rats.

Studies were undertaken to determine the effects of chronic stimulation of opiate receptors on the negative feedback effects of testosterone (T) on luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in the male rat. In an initial study, castrated male rats received replacement levels of T (2 ng/ml) or chronic morphine (M) treatment for 7 days. When initiated at the time of castration, both T and M treatments prevented the castration-induced hypersecretion of LH. However, when the treatments commenced 2 weeks after castration, only T restored LH secretion to the low levels seen in intact rats. In a second study, rats castrated 2 weeks previously were exposed to chronic M or placebo (control) treatment in the presence of various dosages of T. In rats receiving T alone, LH secretion was unaffected at T levels up to 600 pg/ml serum, but thereafter there was a dose-dependent suppression of LH release by T. Serum T levels which reduced LH secretion by 50% were estimated to be 966 pg/ml. In contrast, in castrated rats receiving both M and T treatment, a 50% reduction in LH secretion was estimated to be at 300 pg T/ml serum and maximal inhibition of LH secretion was achieved at serum T levels of greater than 600 pg/ml. Neither T alone nor M plus T treatment altered the responsiveness of the anterior pituitary to LHRH in vitro. These findings indicate that M may enhance the sensitivity of the hypothalamus to T feedback by approximately 3-fold and raise the possibility of the existence of an opioid-sensitive neural component which may modulate the negative feedback effects of T on LH secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Chronic hyperprolactinemia causes progressive changes in hypothalamic dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons.

Studies were undertaken to evaluate the effects of chronic hyperprolactinemia (HYP) on catecholamine concentrations and turnover rates in brain regions of the female rat. HYP was induced by inoculation of tissue derived from the prolactin secreting MtTW15 tumor. When serum prolactin (PRL) levels were moderately elevated, medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) dopamine (DA) turnover was enhanced and DA concentrations were moderately reduced. Later, as serum PRL levels increased to greater than 10 micrograms/ml, DA concentrations were further reduced and DA turnover was concomitantly reduced to below pre-tumor levels. In the preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus (POA-AH), DA concentrations were reduced as PRL levels increased and this was associated with a reduction in DA turnover. Between 5 and 8 weeks of tumor growth, DA turnover remained low, but DA concentrations increased. In the neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary (NIL) the tumor reduced DA turnover at 5 weeks only. Norepinephrine (NE) turnover, but not concentration, was reduced in both the POA-AH and MBH. Surgical removal of the tumor at 5 weeks of growth reduced serum PRL levels to near normal, but MBH DA concentrations and turnover remained depressed while POA-AH and NIL DA levels and turnover increased. Despite removal of the tumor, NE turnover remained depressed in both the MBH and POA-AH. These studies indicate that severe chronic HYP causes progressive alterations in hypothalamic catecholamine neurons which are not reversed by normalization of serum PRL levels. These results suggest that chronic HYP can cause long-lasting effects on some DA and NE neuronal systems.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

The effects of chronic naloxone on pituitary hormone secretion in female rats.

The effects of a sustained-release implant for naloxone (NAL) on serum concentrations of prolactin (PRL), immunoreactive beta-endorphin (IR-beta-ENDO), growth hormone (GH) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were evaluated in ovariectomized female rats. After 9 days of exposure to NAL, serum levels of none of these 4 pituitary hormones were altered. However, the NAL implant antagonized the stimulatory effects of morphine (15 and 30 mg/kg body weight) on PRL and IR-beta-ENDO secretion, enhanced the stimulatory effects of morphine on GH secretion, and had no effect on morphine-induced suppression of TSH secretion. These results indicate that while chronic NAL exposure does not, by itself, persistently alter pituitary hormone secretion, it differentially effects the response of these hormones to morphine exposure. These data suggest that chronic treatment with narcotic antagonists may invoke differential compensatory mechanisms to maintain normal hormone secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Evidence that chronic hyperprolactinemia effects skin temperature regulation through an opioid mechanism.

Studies were undertaken to evaluate the effects of chronic hyperprolactinemia (HYP) induced by the MtTW15 tumor on the thermoregulatory response of female rats to blockade of opiate receptors with naloxone. Both chronic administration of morphine and HYP cause a mild hyperthermia as evidenced by a 0.8-1.0 degrees C elevation in rectal temperature (Tr). Naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal caused a prompt increase (4.9 +/- 0.76 degrees C) in tail skin temperature (TST) and a subsequent decline in Tr (-2.8 degrees C). Similarly, naloxone administration to HYP rats caused a dramatic TST response which was coincident with the onset of severe HYP. This effect of naloxone was maximal at 7 weeks of tumor growth when a TST response of 4.8 +/- 0.3 degrees C was observed but was not evident prior to or 1 week following tumor inoculation, when serum prolactin levels were low. The TST response to naloxone in chronic HYP exhibited distinct pulses with an amplitude of 3.4 +/- 0.4 degrees C and a frequency of 2.2 +/- 0.5 pulses per 120 min. It appears that blockade of opiate receptors in HYP rats induces instability in the regulation of skin temperature as evident by recurrent episodes of TST surges. These effects of chronic HYP on the TST response to naloxone were not influenced by ovariectomy, suggesting that changes in ovarian secretions were not involved in the response. At 4 weeks of tumor growth, immunoreactive beta-endorphin concentrations in the medial basal hypothalamus, preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus and the neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary were decreased by 59, 28 and 47%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Effects of a sustained-release naloxone pellet on luteinizing hormone secretion in female rats.

Studies were undertaken to develop a naloxone implant capable of chronically blocking opioid receptors for several weeks in an effort to evaluate the effect of this prolonged narcotic antagonism on luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in female rats. Antagonism of opiate receptors was achieved with a tablet formulation which contained 75 mg naloxone free base and a high content of the insoluble binding material, Mg stearate. Subcutaneous placement of this implant prevented morphine-induced analgesia for 2 weeks and antagonized the LH suppressory effects of morphine (15 or 30 mg/kg) administration. Thus, this naloxone delivery system is capable of chronically occupying the opioid receptors which mediate morphine's effects on analgesia and LH secretion. Despite this, the naloxone pellet only moderately enhanced the initial rate of increase in LH secretion following ovariectomy (day 1) and was ineffective in further augmenting LH secretion at 3 and 7 days after implantation. In rats which were ovariectomized and implanted immediately with estradiol-containing Silastic capsules, the naloxone pellet was ineffective in altering LH secretion 1, 3 or 7 days later. Thus, while chronic exposure to naloxone persistently antagonizes the pharmacologic actions of morphine, the naloxone pellet only transiently blocked the tonic inhibitory effect of endogenous opioid peptides. The mechanism by which the LH secretory effects of naloxone are lost following chronic exposure to the antagonist are at present unknown, but may involve the activation of compensatory mechanisms which are inhibitory to LH secretion.

Analgesics, Opioid↗
PubMed1983

Modulation of endogenous opioid influence on luteinizing hormone secretion by progesterone and estrogen.

Studies were undertaken using the opiate receptor antagonist naloxone (NAL) to evaluate the relative influence of endogenous opioid peptides (EOP) on LH secretion in cycling and ovariectomized, steroid-treated adult rats. Intact animals received NAL (2 mg/kg, sc) or saline (control vehicle) at 0800 and 1400 h on estrus, 0800 h on diestrus day 1,2000 h on diestrus day 2, and before (at 0800, 1200, and 1400 h) and during the preovulatory LH surge (at 1600 and 1800 h) on proestrus. NAL stimulated LH release by 2- to 3-fold at all stages of the estrous cycle, including during the proestrous gonadotropin surge. Ovariectomized rats were treated with estradiol benzoate (EB; 7.5 micrograms/rat, sc) and 2 days later received NAL (2 mg/kg, sc) or saline at 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600, and 2000 h. NAL induced a relatively small (44-73%), but significant, increase in LH release before (1000, 1200, and 1400 h), during (1600 h), and after (2000 h) the afternoon LH rise. While progesterone (P) treatment (5 mg, sc, day 2 at 1000 h) of EB-primed ovariectomized rats augmented NAL-induced LH release before the LH surge (1200 h), it abolished the LH secretory response to NAL during the LH surge (1400, 1600, and 1800 h). The NAL-induced LH response returned after the LH surge at 2000 h. Likewise, administration of P on proestrus morning (0900 h) abolished the LH secretory response to NAL during the LH surge. These studies indicate that central opioid neurons participate in the tonic inhibition of LH secretion at all stages of the estrous cycle of the rat. The ability of exogenous P to advance and amplify the LH surge on proestrus and in EB-primed ovariectomized rats appears to result in part from a reduction in the EOP inhibitory influence on LH secretion and may indicate a role for EOP in mediating the stimulatory effects of endogenous steroids on LH secretion in the female rat.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Morphine exerts testosterone-like effects in the hypothalamus of the castrated male rat.

Previous research has indicated that endogenous opioids participate in the regulation of activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-luteinizing hormone (LH) axis and mediate the negative feedback control exerted by testosterone. If this assumption is correct, then two predictions can be made. First, the effects of testosterone should be competitively inhibited by narcotic antagonists; and, second, opiates should mimic the acute and chronic effects of testosterone in the castrated male rat. The results of the present investigations support both of these predictions. We found that naloxone competitively antagonized the depressive effects of testosterone on serum LH in the castrated rat and, conversely, that testosterone competitively antagonized the LH-releasing properties of naloxone. In addition, morphine and testosterone both depressed serum LH levels in a dose-dependent fashion in the acutely castrated animal. Moreover, morphine was just as effective as testosterone in reversing the castration-induced fall in hypothalamic-LH-releasing hormone (LH-RH), which occurs in the chronically castrated male rat. On the other hand, morphine failed to reverse the long-term changes in pituitary LH content and increase in serum LH, which is consistent with prior observations that morphine affects only the hypothalamic aspect of the hypothalamic-pituitary-LH axis in the male rat. These results, thus, support the concept that an as yet unidentified opioid-containing neuronal system regulates activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-LH axis and mediates the effects of testosterone on this axis.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Candida albicans group A-specific soluble antigens demonstrated by quantitative immunoelectrophoresis.

Soluble cytoplasmic extracts of Candida albicans groups A and B were prepared and compared by quantitative immunoelectrophoresis experiments performed with a commercial anti-C. albicans group A immune serum. Although crossed immunoelectrophoresis, tandem crossed immunoelectrophoresis, and line immunoelectrophoresis revealed many cross-reactions between the two groups, some components seemed to be specific to group A. However, the complexity of the extracts studied did not allow us to demonstrate specific constituents with these methods. Crossed-line immunoelectrophoresis with and without absorption of antibodies in situ was then used, and four specific antigens unique to group A cytoplasmic extract were demonstrated, one of which appeared to be quantitatively important. The value of various quantitative immunoelectrophoretic methods applied to complex antigenic preparations is discussed.

Absorption↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Distribution of galanin-like immunoreactivity in baboon brain.

Galanin-like immunoreactivity (GLI) was measured in baboon brains using a recently developed radioimmunoassay. Concentrations were measured in 10 cortical regions, hippocampus and 20 subcortical regions. The highest concentrations were in the median eminence, followed by hypothalamus, locus ceruleus, periaqueductal grey, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, septum, amygdala and substantia innominata. Substantial amounts were also measurable in the inferior olive, basal ganglia and thalamus with very low levels in cerebellum. In cerebral cortex, concentrations were lowest in occipital cortex and highest in dorsolateral frontal cortex. Hippocampal concentrations were higher than those in cerebral cortex. Concentrations of GLI in cerebral cortex were significantly correlated with choline acetyltransferase activity and substance P immunoreactivity but not with concentrations of somatostatin or neuropeptide Y. Approximately half the GLI coeluted with porcine standards while half corresponded to a lower molecular weight species on gel permeation chromatography. With reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) the majority of the immunoreactivity eluted just in front of the porcine standard with a smaller amount coeluting with the porcine standard. These results show a widespread distribution of GLI in primate brain and are in accord with previous immunocytochemical studies.

Animals↗