Use Of Cortisol Research Articles

“Functional mapping of the promoter region of the GNB2L1 human gene coding for RACK1 scaffold protein”

RACK1 (Receptor for Activated C Kinase 1) is a scaffold protein for different kinases and membrane receptors. Previously, we characterized an age-dependent decline of RACK1 protein expression which could be counteracted with DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) [Corsini, E., et al. 2002. In vivo dehydroepiandrosterone restores age-associated defects in the protein kinase C signal transduction pathway and related functional responses. J. Immunol. 168, 1753–1758. and Corsini, E., et al. 2005. Age-related decline in RACK-1 expression in human leukocytes is correlated to plasma levels of dehydroepiandrosterone. J. Leukoc. Biol. 77, 247–256.]. Hypothesizing a direct control of RACK1 expression by DHEA we studied the not yet characterized human promoter region of its coding gene GNB2L1. The FLOE (Fluorescently Labeled Oligonucleotide Extension) was used to map the transcription start site and a novel Gateway luciferase vector (GW luc basic; Del Vecchio, I., Zuccotti, A., Canneva, F., Lenzken, S.C., Racchi, M., 2007. Development of the first Gateway firefly luciferase vector and use of reverse transcriptase in FLOE (Fluorescently Labeled Oligonucleotide Extension) reactions. Plasmid 58, 269–274.) to obtain promoter region mutants. Human SH-SY5Y, THP1 and lymphoblastoid cells were used for transient transfections and treatments with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), DHEA and cortisol (the first two molecules to differently activate NF-kB, a transcription complex able to regulate the murine Gnb2l1 gene expression, whereas DHEA and cortisol since they are known to be imbalanced during the aging and possess counteracting actions on the immune function). The primer extension demonstrated the existence of two alternative start sites of transcription respectively located at about 230 and 300 nt 5′ of the Genbank mRNA entry for GNB2L1. Moreover, as a result of the luciferase study we were able to demonstrate that a little region of approximately 300 nt conserved sufficient elements for reporter expression. We also reported that the DHEA modulation of GNB2L1 endogenous expression could not be recapitulated with the luciferase assays. Indeed, the promoter was significantly modulated by means of LPS and PMA treatments but not using DHEA. Differently the use of cortisol led us to demonstrate a biologically significant decrease of luciferase activity only in the presence of a binding site for nuclear receptors of glucocorticoids. Interestingly, other binding sites for transcriptional factors were identified in silico: different c-Rel (NF-kB) and some cardiomyocitic specific cis-acting elements. All this data suggest that the DHEA mediated GNB2L1 regulation is modulated by distant elements (enhancers/silencers), whereas LPS, PMA and cortisol effect can act directly on the mapped GNB2L1 promoter. In conclusion we hypothesize that the imbalance between DHEA and cortisol during aging could be important in the previously demonstrated recovery of the RACK1 expression.

The Use of Cortisol as an Early Marker for Acute Myocardial Infarction in an Emergency Department Setting

The Use of Cortisol as an Early Marker for Acute Myocardial Infarction in an Emergency Department Setting

Les heures optimales d’administration des corticoïdes

AbstractThe Optimal Dosing Times of Corticoids. The therapeutic use of Cortisol and its derivatives, anti-inflammatory corticoids, sets delicate problems to resolve because of Cortisol’s physiological roles and its circadian rhythms. Cortisol and the majority of its derivatives have desirable and undesirable effects that are time-related administration. The chronothera- peutic optimisation to increase desirable effects and safety of corticoids is shown in the treatment of adrenocortical failure, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and asthma. The knowledge of physiological and physiopathological rhythms of asthma permitted to realize oral treatment optimisation by using a number of corticoids. This knowledge puts in a prominent position the advantages of ciclesonide: a new inhaled corticoid. A chronobiologic approach could be used in a classic optimisation which involves a molecule modification and inhalation like routes of administration.

Assessment of pain and welfare in sheep

Animal welfare is the combination of subjective and objective (qualitative and quantitative) aspects of the conditions of life for animals, including health and disease, behaviour, husbandry and management, and is thus, a complex and abstract construct. Many definitions of farm animal welfare exist, but it is recognized that many prevalent inflammatory diseases are a major contributor to adverse welfare worldwide. Inflammation induces alterations in nociceptive information processing, which may have serious consequences for animals. Allodynia (perception of innocuous stimuli as noxious) and hyperalgesia (exaggerated responses to noxious stimuli) are common features of inflammatory pain. When these changes occur, animals and humans are said to be “hyperalgesic”, that is they respond to an unpleasant stimulus at a level which would not affect normal individuals. Hyperalgesia can therefore, be used as an indicator of the presence of pain. Subjective and objective measures of pain in sheep have been investigated. Subjective measures include assessment of behaviours and the use of a number of scales to assess severity based on clinical and pathological signs. Objective measures include the use of cortisol, acute phase proteins and hyperalgesia. Sheep with footrot and chronic mastitis, and cows with lameness and acute mastitis, have been shown to be hyperalgesic and studies have shown that use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be useful in reducing hyperalgesia. Work is going on to develop composite indices that can be employed to assess both pain and welfare in sheep and other livestock species and that may be employed to measure changes in these parameters over time.

Dr. Sallee and Colleagues Reply

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Letter to the EditorFull AccessDr. Sallee and Colleagues ReplyFLOYD R. SALLEE, M.D., PH.D., GOPALAN SETHURAMAN, PH.D., LAUREN E. SINE, M.S., and HONG LIU, M.D., FLOYD R. SALLEESearch for more papers by this author, M.D., PH.D., GOPALAN SETHURAMANSearch for more papers by this author, PH.D., LAUREN E. SINESearch for more papers by this author, M.S., and HONG LIUSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., Cincinnati, OhioPublished Online:1 Aug 2001https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.158.8.1340-aAboutSectionsView EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail To the Editor: The letter of Drs. Watson and Young relates to two methodological issues: the use of multiple baselines to more accurately measure baseline levels of neurohormones (e.g., cortisol) and the use of cortisol concentrations in particular as a covariate in the analysis of growth hormone release.To clarify, we measured cortisol at two time points before administration of yohimbine. In effect, we had two baseline values for cortisol and growth hormone but chose the value at 30 minutes before administration as the reference baseline. The statistical validity of using one value as the baseline instead of averaging a number of values lies in the fact that an estimate based on averages from the same subjects decreases the within-subject correlation coefficient. This affects the repeated measures analysis of variance that is derived from the premise that within-subjects correlation is greater than between-subjects correlation.The mean cortisol concentration at –30 minutes was 9.1 μg/ml (SD=8.4) for the anxious subjects and 6.5 μg/ml (SD=2.8) for the comparison subjects and was reported as such in the baseline results of the article. The cortisol levels at time 0 (immediately before administration of yohimbine) were 8.0 μg/ml (SD=6.7) for the anxious subjects and 6.8 μg/ml (SD=3.2) for the comparison subjects. The average of the two baseline values for all subjects yielded a baseline of 8.5 μg/ml (SD=7.4) for the anxious subjects and 6.7 μg/ml (SD=2.4) for the comparison subjects. The two groups did not differ on either baseline cortisol measure.As Drs. Watson and Young suggest, we measured the correlations between cortisol and growth hormone concentrations at –30, 0, 60, 90, and 120 min; the correlation coefficients (ρ) were, respectively, –0.04, –0.21, 0.45, 0.37, and –0.20 for the anxious group and 0.50, 0.14, –0.70, –0.50, and –0.30 for the comparison group. The correlation values are modest; none approach statistical significance. Thus, the use of cortisol as a covariate does not appear to enhance the model.To reiterate, this was a small study. Our hypotheses were formed to evaluate the effect of yohimbine on hormonal output, including cortisol and growth hormone. We agree that under most circumstances corticosteroids have the potential for interaction with growth hormone output from the pituitary but apparently not under the conditions or the population addressed by this study. FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByNone Volume 158Issue 8 August 2001Pages 1340-a-1340 Metrics History Published online 1 August 2001 Published in print 1 August 2001

Use of cortisol as a stress marker: Practical and theoretical problems.

Human biologists have shown increasing interest in the use of cortisol as an objective marker of stress in recent years. This paper reviews both practical and theoretical problems raised by this approach. The methodology of cortisol assessment using urine, saliva, and plasma is considered. There are many practical problems involved in obtaining good measures of cortisol, although the availability of salivary assays offers a promising way forward. Theoretical issues are of greater concern. Results of laboratory studies led to the hypothesis that cortisol is elevated when an individual is distressed. However, relatively little work has been done on cortisol variation in "real life," and the results of such studies do not, in general, conform to this hypothesis. It is concluded that the determinants of cortisol variation are not well understood. For example, cortisol level may be as much influenced by positive emotions as by negative emotions usually identified with stress. Further documentation of cortisol variation in everyday life is needed, and at present it is premature to use cortisol level as a marker of stress. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

抗生物質の腎毒性に関する基礎的研究

In order to assess the potential nephrotoxicity of antibiotics, effects of these agents on rat kidney lysosomal membrane were investigated in various conditions. Antibiotics were given to Wistar rats for 5 successive days. After nephrectomy rat lysosomes were separated and their membrane stability was examined by measuring the activities of acid-phosphatase. In addition, after separation of lysosomes from normal untreated Wistar rats, antibiotics were added in the incubation system to assess the in vitro effect of antibiotics. Effects of renal ischemia and the lysosomal membrane stabilizer (cortisol) were also examined. Aminoglycosides antibiotics (streptomycin, kanamycin, gentamycin), doxytetracycline, chloramphenicol, and cephems (cephalothin, cephaloridine, ceftezol, latamoxef) were used for this purpose. It was clearly pointed out that aminoglycosides interfered with the lysosomal stability in vivo and in vitro. After a 60 minutes ischemia of the rat kidneys by clamping the renal arteries, effects of antibiotics on administration of 5 successive days on rat lysosomal stability were investigated. It was demonstrated that aminoglycosides also made the lysosomal membrane more unstable. Effects of the lysosomal stabilizer, cortisol, on rat kidney lysosomes were examined. Use of cortisol simultaneously with an antibiotic was more effective than that before and after it.

Stress Response of Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Elicited by Cadmium and Copper and Potential Use of Cortisol as an Indicator of Stress

Exposure of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) to copper (Cu) produced a marked, dose-dependent serum cortisol elevation. Treatment with cadmium (Cd) did not elicit a cortisol elevation, even in moribund fish. Stressing salmon with sublethal levels of Cu or handling plus close confinement resulted in "ideal" compensation (return to prestress levels) in cortisol titers. Salmon exposed to Cu had depressed serum chloride levels and reduced survival when challenged with salt water. Exposure to Cd did not influence serum chloride or the ability to tolerate salt water. Handling and close confinement produced the same cortisol elevation in controls as in Cu- or Cd-treated fish, but exposure to Cu reduced the ability of the fish to survive the stress of handling and confinement. Cortisol level and other characteristics of the General Adaptation Syndrome of stress should not be universally applied as indicators of stress in salmon. Key words: stress, cortisol, heavy metals, coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, saltwater adaptation, stress resistance, stress indicator, cadmium, copper

Calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (CaEDTA) toxicity—Interaction of CaEDTA, cortisol and vitamin a palmitate on lysosomes in vivo in the rat

Lysosomal stabilizers and labilizers attenuate and accentuate, respectively, the effect of CaEDTA in enhancing the degradation of collagen, as evidenced by urinary hydroxyproline excretion. The present study is concerned with evaluating directly the ability of CaEDTA to alter the integrity of rat liver and kidney lysosomes in vivo. The integrity of lysosomes was assessed by measuring the degree of redistribution of lysosomal marker enzymes from the sedimentable or bound fraction to the unsedimentable or soluble fraction and by measuring the activity of lysosomal enzymes in blood plasma. CaEDTA, compared to controls, enhanced the redistribution of cathepsin D and acid phosphatase to the soluble fraction. Total cathepsin D activity in the kidney was increased whereas total acid phosphatase activity in the liver and kidney was decreased. Cortisol (50 mg/kg/8 hr, i.m.) reduced the effect of CaEDTA on redistribution of lysosomal enzymes and abolished the effect of CaEDTA on total renal cathepsin D activity. Vitamin A palmitate (250.000 I.U./kg/12 hr, s.c.) itself produced effects similar to CaEDTA on renal lysosomes; when given concurrently with CaEDTA the increase in total renal cathepsin D activity was additive. The activity of lysosomal enzymes in blood plasma reflected changes in tissues, indicating clearly that release of lysosomal enzymes occurred in vivo. Thus, direct measurement of lysosomal enzyme activity, especially cathepsin D, revealed a close correlation between enzyme activity and the degradation of collagen associated with the administration of CaEDTA, cortisol and vitamin A palmitate. A marked reduction in the concentration of plasma proteins occurred in rats treated with CaEDTA and vitamin A palmitate. A rational basis for the use of cortisol in CaEDTA toxicity is provided by the fact that this drug abolished CaEDTA-induced depletion of plasma proteins.

Cortisol and cortisone as test substances for the efficiency of an inlet system

AbstractThe results of a recent report on the use of cortisol and cortisone as test substances for inlet systems have been contradicted. The ion appearing at [M ‐ 60]+ in the spectrum of each ofthese compounds has been shown to arise initially from an electron‐impact process rather than by pyrolysis and subsequent ionization of the molecular compound. Only at higher temperatures isa significant degree of pyrolysis observed.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: THE COMPLICATIONS OF STEROID TREATMENT

WHEN administered in pharmacologic amount, the adrenal glucocorticoids act in an almost magic way to suppress the overt manifestations of a large variety of inflammatory diseases, for which there is no known cause or cure. It is for this nonspecific purpose, rather than for replacement therapy of adrenocortical insufficiency states, that the steroids are so widely used. The extent of their use may be judged from the fact that total manufacturer sales of these products currently exceed $100 million annually. To date, the pharmaceutical houses have synthesized over 1,500 corticosteroid analogues, only a few of which have proved in practice to be superior to cortisol and cortisone as anti-inflammatory agents. The analogues have been created in an attempt to avoid some of the undesirable effects which result from the pharmacologic use of cortisol or cortisone. Table I lists the major metabolic changes produced by the natural steroids and the clinical picture which develops when they are given or secreted in excess. It should be emphasized that the newer steroids avoid only one of these "complications," the action of cortisol given in large doses to cause sodium retention and potassium loss, thus producing edema, hypertension, hypokalemia, and metabolic alkalosis. The avoidance of edema and hypertension has certainly proved desirable in the treatment of nephrosis or rheumatic carditis, conditions for which cortisone is now rarely prescribed. And yet, if given in large enough amount, the analogues, such as prednisone, will produce profound muscular weakness, presumably via this same mechanism. The possible complications listed in Table I ought to warn the physician not to use these steroids to treat trivial ailments.