Production of Corticosteroid Hormones in Vitro by Adrenals in Rats with Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes

• Published in: Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine Vol. 157; no. 1; pp. 28 - 31
• Main Authors: Kuznetsova, N. V., Pal’chikova, N. A., Kuzminova, O. I., Selyatitskaya, V. G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-05-2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: ACTH; Adrenal Glands - drug effects; Adrenal Glands - metabolism; Adrenal Glands - pathology; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone - pharmacology; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Biophysics and Biochemistry; Cell Biology; Corticosterone; Corticosterone - biosynthesis; Corticosterone - blood; Corticosterone - secretion; Corticosterone - urine; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - chemically induced; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - pathology; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - urine; Diabetes therapy; Hormones, Sex; Internal Medicine; Laboratory Medicine; Male; Organ Culture Techniques; Organ Size; Pathology; Pregnenolone - biosynthesis; Pregnenolone - secretion; Progesterone - biosynthesis; Progesterone - secretion; Progesterone - urine; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Streptozocin; pregnenolone; adrenals; corticosterone; adrenocorticotropic hormone; streptozotocin-induced diabetes
• ISSN: 0007-4888; 1573-8221
• DOI: 10.1007/s10517-014-2484-2

We studied baseline and ACTH-stimulated
in vitro
production of corticosteroids by rat adrenals. Production of the basic corticosteroids pregnenolone (early precursor in corticosteroid synthesis), progesterone (intermediate precursor in synthesis of gluco- and mineralocorticoid hormones), and corticosterone (major glucocorticoid hormone in rodents) in animals with streptozotocin-induced diabetes was enhanced by 1.8-2.0 times in comparison with the control animals. Addition of ACTH to the incubation medium stimulated pregnenolone production by the adrenals equally in the control and experimental (diabetic) groups, while the increase in corticosterone production was less pronounced in the experimental group. Stimulation of corticosterone production in response to ACTH after saturation of the incubation medium with pregnenolone was also less pronounced in diabetic rats.