Corticotropin-releasing Factor In Rats Research Articles

The amygdaloid complex, corticotropin releasing factor and stress-induced gastric ulcerogenesis in rats

The amygdaloid complex and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) are both important in stress reactions and we thus evaluated the effects of intra-amygdalar CRF on stress ulceration in rats. Bilateral micro-applications of CRF (0.05, 0.5 or 5.0 μg) into the central amygdala (CEA) attenuated cold restraint-induced gastric mucosal lesions in a dose-related manner. Similar gastric cytoprotective effects were seen with intra-CEA noradrenaline (NA; 3.0 μg), whereas the NA neurotoxin, DSP-4 (25 μg), or the β-adrenoceptor antagonist, propranolol (1 μg), aggravated stress ulcer pathology. Intra-CEA pretreatment with DSP-4 or propranolol clearly reversed the ulceroprotective effects of CRF during stress. These results indicate that the CEA is a neural substrate for CRF effects, and CRF-NA interactions in this limbic area are crucial for the regulation of stress ulcerogenesis.

Alterations in hypothalamic NPY and CRF in anorexic tumor-bearing rats

Regional hypothalamic concentrations of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), respectively a stimulant and an inhibitor of feeding behavior, were investigated in hypothalamic nuclei in rats carrying the Yoshida sarcoma. Tumor-bearing rats (n = 10), non-tumor-bearing controls (n = 10), and food-restricted rats (n = 10), which did not carry tumors but were pair-fed to match the reduced food intake of the tumor-bearing group, were studied after 10 days. NPY concentrations in the arcuate nucleus (ARC, the main site of NPY synthesis) were significantly increased above controls (P < 0.01) in both tumor-bearing and food-restricted groups. However, NPY concentrations in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN, an NPY-sensitive site of NPY release) showed opposing changes, with a 25% decrease (P = 0.052) in the tumor-bearing but a 48% increase (P < 0.01) in the food-restricted group. CRF concentrations in both the PVN and the ARC were significantly reduced (P < 0.01) in the food-restricted group, but remained close to control values in the tumor-bearing group (P not significant). Changes in hypothalamic appetite-regulating neuropeptides in cancer anorexia, which may result from the action of cytokines produced by a host defense response or the tumor itself, may account for reduced feeding. Such changes may include impaired activity of NPY or failure of CRF activity to be suppressed after underfeeding and weight loss.

Tyrosine pretreatment alleviates suppression of schedule-controlled responding produced by corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in rats

Disruption of performance observed when animals are exposed to physical Stressors which deplete brain catecholamines can be alleviated by pretreatment with the catecholamine precursor tyrosine. Central administration of the stress hormone corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) has been shown to affect a variety of behaviors and also to potently increase the release of central catecholamines. Since CRF-induced disruption of behavior may involve CRF-induced depletion of brain catecholamines, the present study examined whether tyrosine would alleviate suppression of schedule-controlled responding in rats resulting from ICV administration of CRF. Administration of CRF (1.0 μg–10 μg) produced dose-dependent suppression of response rate and total number of earned reinforcers in rats responding on a multiple fixed-interval 60 s/fixed-ratio 20 schedule for food reinforcement. Pretreatment with 200 mg/kg tyrosine (IP) administered with ICV saline decreased response rate but did not lower total reinforcers, whereas 400 mg/kg of tyrosine decreased both. Injection of 400 mg/kg tyrosine reduced, but did not completely restore, CRF-induced suppression of behavior. The 200 mg/kg tyrosine dose was less effective in alleviating CRF-induced suppression of performance. These data indicate that pretreatment with the catecholamine precursor tyrosine can partially ameliorate performance decrements resulting from CRF administration.

Protein synthesis in the hippocampus associated with memory facilitation by corticotropin-releasing factor in rats

The present study used pharmacological, biochemical, and behavioral methods to examine the role of protein synthesis in the hippocampus in memory processes of a passive avoidance learning in rats. Results indicated that corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) significantly improved memory retention in rats. Both cycloheximide (CHX) and actinomycin-D (ACT-D) impaired memory at high doses. At doses of CHX and ACT-D that did not affect memory alone, they both antagonized the memory-enhancing effect of CRF. Biochemically, there were specific increases in the optical density of three protein bands in the cytosolic fraction of hippocampal cells in rats showing good memory. There were also marked increases in the optical density of two protein bands in the nucleus fraction of the same animals. Similar results were observed in animals injected with CRF. However, no significant protein alteration was observed in animals receiving stress. These results together suggest that there are new protein syntheses in the hippocampus that are specifically associated with passive avoidance learning in rats.

Clonidine prevents corticotropin releasing factor-induced epileptogenic activity in rats.

Studies have shown that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection (10-20 micrograms) of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in rats induces epileptiform activity characterized by a regular (pacemaker-like) spiking pattern located in hippocampal leads. CRF has also been shown to increase the firing rate of noradrenergic neurons in the locus ceruleus. Our experiments clarified the possible role of norepinephrine (NE) in mediating hippocampal activity of CRF. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of the alpha 2-agonist clonidine at a dose of 0.5-5 micrograms/kg prevented, in a dose-related manner, the hippocampal epileptiform activity induced by CRF (20 micrograms i.c.v.). Our results suggest a possible role of NE in CRF-induced spiking activity.

Autonomic and Behavioral Effects of Centrally Administered Corticotropin-Releasing Factor in Rats

Changes in heart rate, core temperature, and gross locomotor activity were recorded simultaneously by a wireless telemetry system for periods up to 60 min after intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of synthetic human CRF-(1-41) (CRF) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid in rats in their home cages. The telemetry system provides a highly sensitive method to monitor autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity without imposing restraint on the animal. CRF was administered at lower doses than hitherto used to study central effects on the ANS (0.03, 0.1, 0.3, and 1 microgram). Starting 10 min after icv injections, behavioral responses to CRF, i.e. grooming, locomotion, and digging, were determined by a time sampling method. Within 5 min after icv treatment, CRF, in a dose-related fashion, produced a significant increase in heart rate, core temperature, and behavioral activity. The absence of effect of 30 ng CRF, which already may be regarded as a supraphysiological amount, suggests that CRF does not modify ANS and behavioral activity under resting conditions. Tachycardiac responses in rats receiving 0.1 microgram CRF, icv, in the morning were more marked than those in rats given the same treatment in the late afternoon. In addition, the presumed intrinsic activity of the CRF receptor antagonist, alpha-helical CRF-(9-41) (alpha hCRF) at doses of 0.1, 1, 5, and 25 micrograms was evaluated. Intracerebroventricular injections of 0.1 and 1 microgram alpha hCRF failed to produce detectable effects. At the 5- and 25-micrograms doses, alpha hCRF dose-dependently induced tachycardia and behavioral activation, suggesting partial agonistic activity. Taken together, these results demonstrate that CRF does not play a role in the regulation of ANS and behavioral activity under resting conditions. The responses produced by icv injected supraphysiological amounts of CRF, however, may serve to model a stressful situation during which the massively released CRF induces similar effects on ANS and behavior, after reaching high local concentrations at brain sites involved in the mediation of these actions.

Nifedipine and verapamil block the memory-facilitating effect of corticotropin-releasing factor in rats

The effects of two calcium channel blockers, nifedipine and verapamil, and the peptide corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) as well as their interactive effects on memory retention were examined in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were chronically cannulated bilaterally and drugs were directly injected into the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Animals were trained in a one-way inhibitory avoidance task and memory was measured 24 h later. Results indicate that there was a U-shaped dose-response curve for the effects of nifedipine and verapamil with nifedipine at 8 ug and verapamil at 1 ug both impaired memory formation, while CRF at 0.1 ug enhanced this process. Nifedipine at 2 ug and verapamil at 0.5 ug, which did not have significant effects on memory by themselves, antagonized the memory-enhancing effect of CRF in the hippocampus. These results suggest that under normal physiological conditions, calcium influx may play an important role in memory consolidation process in the vertebrate.

Corticotropin releasing factor stimulates growth hormone secretion in neonatal rats

Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) both stimulates ACTH secretion from the pituitary and inhibits secretion of growth hormone (GH) in adult rats through actions in the CNS. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate these pituitary and central actions of CRF in neonatal rats, in which the hypothalamo- pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis is relatively hypo-functional. The results of this study show that central or peripheral administration of CRF evokes a marked dose-related rise in serum corticosterone in 6-day old rats. The same doses of CRF stimulate, rather than inhibit GH secretion. These results suggest that CRF has unique central actions early in ontogeny.

Central nervous system cardiovascular actions of CRF in sinoaortic-denervated rats

Studies were performed in unrestrained conscious Sprague-Dawley rats to examine the central nervous system (CNS) mechanism by which corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) produces simultaneous elevations of arterial pressure and heart rate. To test the hypothesis that CRF inhibits ongoing impulse transmission through and/or transmitter release from the CNS terminations of baroreceptor afferents, the cardiovascular effects of intracerebroventricular administration of CRF were compared in rats subjected to prior sham surgery (Sham) or sinoaortic denervation (SAD). Resting levels of arterial pressure and heart rate were elevated after SAD. In addition, SAD resulted in greater chronotropic sympathetic tone and reduced chronotropic parasympathetic tone as assessed by intravenous injections of atropine methyl nitrate and DL-propranolol. Intracerebroventricular administration of CRF in both surgical groups elicited significant increases in arterial pressure and heart rate, although a tendency for reduced tachycardic responses after SAD was apparent. Pretreatment with atropine or propranolol revealed that both the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems contribute to CRF-induced heart rate responses in both surgical groups. These results suggest that ongoing baroreceptor afferent transmission is not requisite for the expression of CRF-induced cardiovascular changes. Thus it is unlikely that CRF elevates arterial pressure and heart rate through an exclusive action at the CNS terminations of baroreceptor sensory fibers.

Alterations in local cerebral glucose utilization following central administration of corticotropin-releasing factor in rats.

We have examined the effects of intracerebroventricular administration of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) (5.25 nmol in 10 microliters of saline) on glucose utilization, an index of cerebral function, in 65 anatomically discrete regions of rat brain by using the 14C-2-deoxyglucose quantitative autoradiographic technique. CRF administration increased plasma glucose concentrations with a temporal onset and magnitude of response similar to those previously reported. CRF differentially affected glucose utilization (GU) in discrete regions of rat brain. Consonant with the hypophysiotropic role for CRF, pronounced increases in GU were seen in median eminence and lateral nucleus of the hypothalamus. CRF also increased GU in brain regions implicated in mediating responses to stress including locus coeruleus and median raphe nucleus. In contrast, reductions in GU were observed in prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Punctate increases in GU were noted in the cerebellar cortex. Furthermore, large increases in GU occurred in vermis, inferior olive, and red nucleus substantiating a neurotransmitter role for CRF in the olivocerebellar pathway. Additional brain areas showing significant alterations in GU in response to CRF included anteroventral, anterior pretectal, and posterolateral nuclei of the thalamus, fornix, dorsal tegmental nucleus, spinal trigeminal nucleus, and cuneate nucleus. These data demonstrating regional changes in GU in response to CRF administration further elucidate the neuroanatomical substrates underlying the actions of CRF in brain and support the role of this neuropeptide in coordinating responses to stress.

Chronic intracerebroventricular CRF infusion attenuates ACTH-corticosterone release

Bolus intracerebroventricular delivery of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) elicits acute responses of both the pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system. We examined whether these stresslike responses could be maintained over a period of days by central delivery of CRF in nonstressed rats, as would be predicted if this peptide participates in the central nervous system regulation of chronic stress. CRF (4.3 or 21.5 micrograms/day) was continuously delivered into the cerebral ventricle via Alzet minipumps. In contrast to saline-infused controls, rats receiving CRF exhibited elevated excretions of corticosterone, norepinephrine, and urea nitrogen for several days. Thereafter, an attenuation of CRF responsiveness occurred when corticosterone excretion returned to basal levels despite continued central CRF infusion. However, CRF delivered intravenously during attenuation stimulated adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone secretion, implicating a hypothalamic rather than pituitary locus for central CRF resistance. The present data do not permit a conclusion on whether the attenuation of the CRF response with time is the result of an ultrashort-loop negative-feedback mechanism or CRF receptor desensitization.

Ultrastructural changes in adrenocortical cells following injection of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in fetal rats.

Ultrastructural changes in adrenocortical cells following injection of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in fetal rats.

Activating and ‘anxiogenic’ effects of corticotropin releasing factor are not inhibited by blockade of the pituitary-adrenal system with dexamethasone

Central administration of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in rats produces pituitary-adrenal activation and a variety of “anxiogenic-like” effects. The present study was designed to explore the contribution of the peripheral pituitary-adrenocortical axis in mediating these CRF responses. Intraventricularly administered CRF produced suppression of responding in the conflict test and a marked locomotor activation. Neither behavioral effect was altered by the prior administration of dexamethasone in a dose that blocked pituitary-adrenal activation to CRF. These results support the hypothesis that behavioral effects of CRF are mediated by its action at central sites and not via an action on the pituitary-adreno-cortical system.

EEG stability following corticotropin releasing factor in rats

The EEG and behavioral effects of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of low doses of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) (0.0015 and 0.015 nM) were studied in rats. Compared to saline injections, CRF produced a significant increase in the ‘stability’ of EEG waveforms over time in several frequency bands. The behavioral effects of CRF were consistent with previous reports of CRF-induced arousal and autonomic activation without frank increases in locomotion. These studies suggest that measures of EEG stability should be investigated as a potential biologic correlate in diseases wherein hypercortisolism associated with CRF release is a prominent feature.

Hypercorticosteronuria and diminished pituitary responsiveness to corticotropin-releasing factor in obese Zucker rats.

Metabolic defects in obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats have previously been shown to be reversed by adrenalectomy; however, hypercorticosteronemia has not been demonstrated. We now report that the total daily excretion of corticosterone and urea nitrogen are significantly greater (P less than 0.01) in obese Zucker rats than in age-matched lean Zucker rats. This excessive excretion of corticosterone is not of autonomous adrenal origin, since dexamethasone treatment (20 micrograms/kg X day) for 2 days induced a proportionate reduction in corticosterone excretion (approximately 50%) in both obese and lean Zucker rats. Corticosterone excretion was further suppressed to levels not different from those in lean rats after 2 days of dexamethasone (40 micrograms/kg X day). Both the peak and total pituitary beta-endorphin secretion in response to an iv bolus of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) were diminished in obese Zuckers. The response to CRF in obese Zucker rats was dampened and superimposable on that of dexamethasone-treated lean Zucker rats, suggesting the existence of chronic hypercorticosteronemia as a component of this genetic obesity. These observations provide evidence for a compensatory alteration of the pituitary-adrenal axis. We suggest that corticosterone turnover may be increased in obese Zucker rats.

Inhibition of gastric acid secretion in rats and in dogs by corticotropin-releasing factor

Intravenously injected synthetic ovine corticotropin-releasing factor inhibited gastric secretion by reducing gastric secretory volume, acid concentration, and acid output, but elevated plasma gastrin levels in conscious 2-h pylorus-ligated rats. Corticotropin-releasing factor suppressed pentagastrinstimulaled gastric acid output at intravenous doses of 4–17 nmol · kg−1 · h−1 in urethane-anesthetized, gastric fistula rats and at 0.1–1-nmol · kg−1 · h−1 doses in conscious, gastric-fistula dogs. The inhibitory effect of corticotropin-releasing factor was dosedependent, long-lasting, and reversible. The other newly characterized hypothalamic-hypophysiotropic peptide, growth hormone-releasing factor, hpGRF (1–40), infused at a dose of 18 nmol · kg−1 · h−1, did not modify gastric acid secretion stimulated by pentogastrin in rats. Gastric response to corticotropin-releasing factor in rats was altered neither by naloxone (5 mg/kg i.p.) or indomethacin (10 mg/kg i.p.) pretreatment, nor by hypophysectomy or adrenalectomy, but was partly reversed by vagotomy. These results demonstrate that corticotropin-releasing factor inhibits gastric acid secretion in both rats and dogs. The inhibitory effect of corticotropinreleasing factor on gastric secretion does not require the presence of the pituitary or the adrenal glands. or a functional prostaglandin biosynthetic pathway, and is not mediated through changes in gastrin secretion. It appears to be partially dependent on a degree of vagal tone as well as other mechanisms that await further elucidation.