Depletion Of Somatostatin Research Articles

Rapid depletion of somatostatin in isolated mouse pancreatic islets after treatment with cysteamine.

Cysteamine (CSH; beta-mercaptoethylamine) is known to deplete pancreatic somatostatin without affecting the insulin or glucagon content. It may therefore be useful for studies of intra-islet regulation of hormone release. In the present study injection of CSH (60 mg/kg body weight) to mice decreased the somatostatin content of their isolated pancreatic islets to 50% in 1 h and 30% in 4 h as compared to islets of non-injected controls. Exposure of isolated mouse islets to CSH (100 micrograms/ml) for either 0.5 h followed by incubation in control medium for 3.5 h, or continuously for 4 h, decreased the somatostatin content to about 40% of the controls. There was no change in the islet content of insulin or glucagon. Islets pretreated with CSH (100 micrograms/ml) for 1 h in vitro showed a decreased glucose stimulation of both oxygen consumption and glucose oxidation. Measurements of insulin release after a similar preincubation of the islets indicated an increased basal release and an attenuated glucose stimulation. It is concluded that CSH rapidly decreases islet somatostatin both in vivo and in vitro. This depletion may lead to a loss of tonic inhibition by islet somatostatin on basal insulin release. It is, however, more plausible that the increased basal insulin release reflected a direct effect of CSH on the islet beta-cells.

Pantethine, a cysteamine precursor, depletes immunoreactive somatostatin and prolactin in the rat.

Pantethine, a stable disulfide precursor of pantetheine, has been reported to increase intracellular concentration of cysteamine in cultured fibroblasts of patients with cystinosis. In order to determine whether pantethine acts like cysteamine in bringing about depletion of immunoreactive somatostatin (IRS) in rat neural and gastrointestinal tissues and depletion of immunoreactive PRL (IRPRL) in the anterior pituitary, groups of male rats were given pantethine by ip injection at a dose of 0.264 mM or 0.528 mM/100 g body weight or normal saline and killed 4 h later. The interval chosen corresponds to the time of maximum effect after oral cysteamine administration. In cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, duodenal and gastric mucosa, and pancreas, IRS was uniformly depressed by 50% or more as compared with control rats, the most striking changes occurring in the hypothalamus where there was a 64% depletion at the higher dose of drug. Both dosage levels depleted IRPRL in pituitary and serum. At the higher dose, IRPRL was reduced by approximately 85% in the pituitary and 75% in the serum. These findings support the hypothesis that pantethine administration leads to an accumulation of cysteamine within cells throughout the body and that the cysteamine so formed depletes IRS and IRPRL.

Cysteamine-Induced Depletion of Brain Somatostatin Is Associated with Up-Regulation of Cerebrocortical Somatostatin Receptors*

Cysteamine (CSH) administered as a single sc injection to rats produced rapid depletion of cerebrocortical Somatostatin-14 like immunoreactivity (S-14 LI) with a significant 48% reduction occurring within 5 min and maximum (72%) decrease at 4 h. The depletion of S-14 LI was associated with a 1.7 fold increase in Bmax of the cerebrocortical S-14 receptors 5 min after CSH administration and a concomitant but slower increase in the affinity of these receptors [dissociation constant (Kd) being 1.8- and 1.6-fold lower than the control at 30 and 60 min, respectively, post CSH]. Incubation of intact synaptosomes with 1 mM CSH at 37 C in vitro for 60 min also caused a rapid depletion of S-14 LI, but in contrast to the in vivo data, there was no change in the Bmax or Kd of the S-14 receptors for up to 30 min beyond which time a 2.8-fold decrease in the affinity of S-14 receptors was observed. Higher concentrations of CSH (greater than or equal to 10 mM) added during the incubation of synaptosomes in vitro completely abolished the specific binding of these receptors. The pituitary S-14 receptors were studied 30 min after CSH administration and unlike the cerebrocortical S-14 receptors at this time did not exhibit any change in Bmax or affinity. When added at the time of the binding assay CSH (1 mM) was without a direct effect on cerebrocortical as well as pituitary membrane S-14 receptors. Furthermore, addition of CSH at the time of binding assay did not destroy the integrity of [125I-Tyr11]S-14. It is concluded that administration of CSH to rats in vivo depletes brain S-14 LI and up-regulates synaptosomal S-14 receptors. Exposure of synaptosomes to CSH in vitro for 30 min also depletes S-14 LI but has no effect on S-14 receptors suggesting that S-14 receptor regulation by S-14 is an in vivo phenomenon or requires the intact cell. CSH has a direct inhibitory effect on S-14 receptor binding after prolonged in vitro incubation. Pituitary S-14 receptors unlike those in the brain are unaffected by S-14 LI depletion at least acutely.

Depletion of striatal somatostatin by local cysteamine injection

Local injection of cysteamine into rat striatum resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI). The effect was seen at 1 h, and persisted for up to 72 h, but was reversible at 1 week. The maximal depletion of SLI was approximately 50%. Histologic damage was largely confined to the needle tract. Of interest was a depletion of SLI in the contralateral striatum beginning at 3 h and maximal at 72 h. Cysteamine induced depletion of striatal SLI was not accompanied by alterations in dopamine or serotonin metabolism. Cysteamine is a useful pharmacologic tool for local somatostatin depletion.

Somatostatin depletion of the gut and pancreas induced by cysteamine is not prevented by vagotomy or by dopamine agonists

The role of endogenous somatostatin in the pathogenesis of duodenal ulceration was investigated in the present study by using the cysteamine animal model of the disease. Our previous studies showed a rapid and multiorgan depletion of somatostatin immunoreactivity (SIR) in rats given a single dose of duodenal ulcerogen cysteamine. We now determined whether acetylcholinergic and dopaminergic modulation (both known to influence the development of duodenal ulcer) are accompanied by modification of cysteamine-induced SIR depletion in rat organs. Vagotomy performed either 1 or 18 h before cysteamine administration did not interfere with the chemically induced SIR decrease in pancreas, gastric and duodenal mucosa. Vagal denervation alone had no marked influence on SIR levels but if combined with cysteamine, the SIR depletion in the stomach was significantly more pronounced than after the duodenal ulcerogen alone. Pretreatment with the dopamine agonists bromocriptine or lergotrile (known to prevent the chemically induced duodenal ulcers) did not influence the SIR depletion by cysteamine. Thus cysteamine depletes endogenous somatostatin in peripheral organs (e.g., stomach, duodenum, pancreas) by mechanisms independent of both vagus nerve and dopamine agonists. A role of central somatostatin depletion leading to disinhibition of vagus is also considered in the pathogenesis of experimental duodenal ulcer.

Somatostatin depletion by cysteamine in duodenal ulceration: Effect of vagotomy and dopamine agonists in the rat: S. Szabo and S. Reichlin. Dept. of Pathology, Brigham & Women's Hosp., Harvard Med. Sch., and Div. of Endocrinology, New England Med. Center, Tufts Univ. Med. Sch., Boston, Mass. 02115 USA

Somatostatin depletion by cysteamine in duodenal ulceration: Effect of vagotomy and dopamine agonists in the rat: S. Szabo and S. Reichlin. Dept. of Pathology, Brigham & Women's Hosp., Harvard Med. Sch., and Div. of Endocrinology, New England Med. Center, Tufts Univ. Med. Sch., Boston, Mass. 02115 USA

Biological effects of cysteamine: relationship to somatostatin depletion.

Cysteamine given subcutaneously to rats decreases brain concentrations of somatostatin-like immunoactivity (SLI) but does not affect vasopressin-like immunoactivity as determined by radioimmunoassay and immunocytochemistry. Since somatostatin-related peptides act within the central nervous system (CNS) to increase body temperature and decrease adrenal epinephrine secretion, changes in these parameters were assessed following cysteamine administration. Cysteamine administration lowers oxygen consumption and body temperature, and elevates plasma concentrations of epinephrine, glucose, insulin and glucagon. The lowering of body temperature and elevation of plasma epinephrine is prevented by CNS administration of the CNS-selective somatostatin analog desAA1,2,4,5,12,13[D-Trp8 ))somatostatin. The CNS actions of somatostatin-related peptides are opposite to the effects of cysteamine. The observations are consistent with the possibility that brain somatostatin-related peptides are involved in regulation of body temperature and adrenal epinephrine secretion.

The effect of cysteamine on immunoreactive somatostatin in the rabbit retina

Cysteamine hydrochloride was administered to rabbits at doses ranging from 0.3 to 10 mg by two intravitreal injections 24 h apart. Retinal immunoreactive somatostatin concentrations were reduced by about 50% at 24 h following the second injection. At doses of 0.3–3 mg, there was no demonstrable effect on retinal concentrations of immunoreactive substance P or of dopamine. Ten milligrams of cysteamine produced non-specific retinal damage. Cysteamine injected locally into the retina is a relatively specific drug for depletion of somatostatin.

Selective depletion of somatostatin in rat brain by cysteamine

A single injection of cysteamine (300 mg/kg, subcutaneously) results in a 70–80% decrease in somatostatin levels in the periventricular nucleus where somatostatin-producing neurons are located and the median eminence where somatostatinergic nerve terminals are. The drug seems quite selective: no changes in levels of other neuropeptides — LH-RH, vasopressin, enkephalin, VIP, CCK — were observed in the same animals.

Effect of capsaicin on neuropeptides in areas of termination of primary sensory neurones

Capsaicin stimulates chemosensitive peripheral pain receptors, and neonatal administration produces degeneration of a population of primary afferent fibres. It has been shown previously that the effects of capsaicin are accompanied by the loss of substance P from areas of primary afferent termination and that enkephalin is not depleted from such areas. However, a number of other peptides are thought to be contained in sensory fibre systems and so we have used immunohistochemistry to examine the effect of capsaicin on the distribution of five different peptides in the substantia gelatinosa of the spinal trigeminal nucleus and spinal cord. Neonatal capsaicin treatment produces a depletion of somatostatin and cholecystokinin immunofluorescence in addition to substance P, but enkephalin and neurotensin immunofluorescence are not depleted. The implications of this result for theories of peptide involvement in nociceptive mechanisms are discussed.

Somatostatin in rat tissues is depleted by cysteamine administration.

Administration of cysteamine (mercaptoethylamine) induces in rats severe perforating duodenal ulcers. Because the ulcerogenic properties of cysteamine are markedly reduced by treatment with somatostatin, we considered the possibility that cysteamine-induced duodenal ulcer might be mediated by depletion of tissue somatostatin, and thereby of its paracrine influences on gastrin and gastric acid secretion. To test this hypothesis, we measured the concentration of immunoreactive somatostatin (IR-somatostatin) in stomach and duodenal mucosa at intervals after administration of a single ulcerogenic dose (30 mg/kg by stomach tube). IR-somatostatin in these tissues fell rapidly to reach a minimum at 4 h (stomach 31%, duodenum 60% of control respectively). IR-somatostatin in hypothalamus and pancreas decreased gradually to a minimum at 7 h. Another duodenal ulcerogen, propionitrile (10 mg/100 g bw, s.c.) which is more toxic than cysteamine, and several stressful procedures including ether anesthesia, restraint and s.c. formalin did not lower stomach or duodenal IR-somatostatin. Gut, pancreas and hypothalamic VIP levels were not influenced by cysteamine. These findings suggest that cysteamine is a relatively specific depletor of tissue somatostatin. Because blood levels of somatostatin fell, and only trivial amounts of the peptide were found in the stomach lumen after cysteamine administration, it appears likely that this agent acts at the cellular level to cause breakdown of preformed somatostatin and/or to acutely reduce its synthesis.

Multiorgan depletion of somatostatin caused by the duodenal ulcerogen cysteamine

Multiorgan depletion of somatostatin caused by the duodenal ulcerogen cysteamine

Effect of treatment with growth hormone on somatostatin in the median eminence of hypophysectomized rats.

SummaryTreatment of rats with growth hormone partially prevented depletion of somatostatin from the median eminence when therapy was begun immediately following hypophysectomy, and partially restored somatostatin when treatment was initiated after a prolonged posthypophysec-tomy interval. These observations suggest that growth hormone tends to increase the store of somatostatin in the median eminence.

Effect of hypophysectomy on hypothalamic somatostatin content in rats.

The effect of hypophysectomy on the hypothalamic somatostatin content was examined in rats. Somatostatin content in the acid extract of the pituitary stalk and the median eminence tissue (SME) was measured by specific radioimmunoassay. In young male rats, the mean somatostatin content in SME was 63.9+/-5.0 ng. Two weeks after hypophysectomy, it was reduced significantly to 34.4+/-3.3 ng. The result may indicate that the elimination of feedback actions of GH and/or TSH on the hypothalamus led to the decreased synthesis and/or the release of somatostatin. However, the possibility that structural changes in the pituitary stalk and the median eminence tissue ensued after hypophysectomy resulted in the depletion of somatostatin cannot be ruled out.