Biomaterial Database

Lack of effect of ghrelin treatment on melatonin production in rat pineal and Harderian glands. 2005

Yasmina Djeridane, and Yvan Touitou

Faculté de Médecine, Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service de Biochimie Médicale et Biologie Moléculaire, 91, Boulevard de l' Hôpital, 75013, Paris, France.

The effects of ghrelin, a peptide hormone secreted from the stomach, on melatonin remain unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate possible ghrelin-melatonin interactions by studying the effect of ghrelin treatment on melatonin production in rat pineal and Harderian glands. Young (9 weeks) and old (20 months) male Wistar rats, maintained under a light:dark cycle regimen of 12:12, were assigned randomly to either a single subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of saline or ghrelin (1 microg/rat or 15 microg/rat) 1 h before sacrifice in the middle of the dark phase, or repeated s.c. saline or ghrelin injections (15 microg/rat), 3, 2 and 1 h before sacrificed in the middle of the dark phase. Neither ghrelin doses (1 microg/rat or 15 microg/rat) nor type of treatment (acute or repeated) influenced melatonin levels or the melatonin synthesizing enzymes N-acetyltransferase and hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase activities, either in pineal gland or in Harderian glands. At the concentrations used, ghrelin does not influence melatonin production in rat pineal and Harderian glands, and therefore is not involved in the regulation of melatonin secretion, at least under our experimental conditions.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007279	Injections, Subcutaneous	Forceful administration under the skin of liquid medication, nutrient, or other fluid through a hollow needle piercing the skin.	Subcutaneous Injections,Injection, Subcutaneous,Subcutaneous Injection
D008297	Male		Males
D008550	Melatonin	A biogenic amine that is found in animals and plants. In mammals, melatonin is produced by the PINEAL GLAND. Its secretion increases in darkness and decreases during exposure to light. Melatonin is implicated in the regulation of SLEEP, mood, and REPRODUCTION. Melatonin is also an effective antioxidant.
D010870	Pineal Gland	A light-sensitive neuroendocrine organ attached to the roof of the THIRD VENTRICLE of the brain. The pineal gland secretes MELATONIN, other BIOGENIC AMINES and NEUROPEPTIDES.	Epiphysis Cerebri,Pineal Body,Corpus Pineale,Gland, Pineal,Pineal Bodies,Pineal Glands
D002940	Circadian Rhythm	The regular recurrence, in cycles of about 24 hours, of biological processes or activities, such as sensitivity to drugs or environmental and physiological stimuli.	Diurnal Rhythm,Nyctohemeral Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythm,Nycthemeral Rhythm,Circadian Rhythms,Diurnal Rhythms,Nycthemeral Rhythms,Nyctohemeral Rhythms,Rhythm, Circadian,Rhythm, Diurnal,Rhythm, Nycthemeral,Rhythm, Nyctohemeral,Rhythm, Twenty-Four Hour,Rhythms, Circadian,Rhythms, Diurnal,Rhythms, Nycthemeral,Rhythms, Nyctohemeral,Rhythms, Twenty-Four Hour,Twenty Four Hour Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythms
D004305	Dose-Response Relationship, Drug	The relationship between the dose of an administered drug and the response of the organism to the drug.	Dose Response Relationship, Drug,Dose-Response Relationships, Drug,Drug Dose-Response Relationship,Drug Dose-Response Relationships,Relationship, Drug Dose-Response,Relationships, Drug Dose-Response
D006243	Harderian Gland	A sebaceous gland that, in some animals, acts as an accessory to the lacrimal gland. The harderian gland excretes fluid that facilitates movement of the third eyelid.	Gland, Harderian
D000121	Acetylserotonin O-Methyltransferase	An enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine to N-acetylserotonin to form N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine (MELATONIN).	Hydroxyindole O-Methyltransferase,Acetylserotonin Methyltransferase,HIOMT,Oxyindol-O-Methyltransferase,Acetylserotonin O Methyltransferase,Hydroxyindole O Methyltransferase,Methyltransferase, Acetylserotonin,O-Methyltransferase, Acetylserotonin,O-Methyltransferase, Hydroxyindole,Oxyindol O Methyltransferase
D000123	Acetyltransferases	Enzymes catalyzing the transfer of an acetyl group, usually from acetyl coenzyme A, to another compound. EC 2.3.1.	Acetyltransferase
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia