Biomaterial Database

Chronic insulin treatment, but not chronic ACTH administration increases plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels in adolescent male rats. 1993

T Remer, and K Pietrzik

Research Institute of Child Nutrition, Dortmund, Germany.

The chronic effect of daily i. m. administration of ACTH (1 U/kg bodyweight (BW), group A) and of insulin (15/kg BW, group B) on circulating dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and testosterone was investigated in postpubertal male Wistar rats. NaCl-injected animals served as controls (group C). After at least 8 days under the respective hormone or NaCl treatment "basally" circulating testosterone levels were slightly suppressed in insulin- (1.56 +/- 0.86 ng/ml) and markedly reduced (0.54 +/- 0.21 ng/ml) in ACTH-treated rats vs. controls (2.33 +/- 0.69 ng/ml). DHEA-S levels, however, nearly doubled under chronic insulin administration (0.4 +/- 0.18 ng/ml) in comparison to the groups A (0.22 +/- 0.11 ng/ml) and C (0.23 +/- 0.09 ng/ml). Food intake and weight gain were also elevated (vs. groups A and C) as were the basal plasma corticosterone levels (vs. group C) in insulin treated rats. Following an acute ACTH stimulation test (12 U/kg BW i.m.) performed in all three treatment groups, plasma DHEA-S showed a further increase in the animals receiving insulin (0.75 +/- 0.32 ng/ml), whereas no response was detectable in rats from group A (0.27 +/- 0.13 ng/ml) or C (0.24 +/- 0.11 ng/ml). Further measurements of corticosterone or testosterone responses following endocrinological stimulation tests with supraphysiological doses of either ACTH or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) indicated that a lowering in the catabolism (metabolic clearance) of corticosteroids or androgens could not be the cause for the elevated DHEA-S levels seen after daily insulin injections.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007328	Insulin	A 51-amino acid pancreatic hormone that plays a major role in the regulation of glucose metabolism, directly by suppressing endogenous glucose production (GLYCOGENOLYSIS; GLUCONEOGENESIS) and indirectly by suppressing GLUCAGON secretion and LIPOLYSIS. Native insulin is a globular protein comprised of a zinc-coordinated hexamer. Each insulin monomer containing two chains, A (21 residues) and B (30 residues), linked by two disulfide bonds. Insulin is used as a drug to control insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 1).	Iletin,Insulin A Chain,Insulin B Chain,Insulin, Regular,Novolin,Sodium Insulin,Soluble Insulin,Chain, Insulin B,Insulin, Sodium,Insulin, Soluble,Regular Insulin
D008297	Male		Males
D009929	Organ Size	The measurement of an organ in volume, mass, or heaviness.	Organ Volume,Organ Weight,Size, Organ,Weight, Organ
D011247	Pregnancy	The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.	Gestation,Pregnancies
D002784	Cholesterol	The principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils.	Epicholesterol
D003687	Dehydroepiandrosterone	A major C19 steroid produced by the ADRENAL CORTEX. It is also produced in small quantities in the TESTIS and the OVARY. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) can be converted to TESTOSTERONE; ANDROSTENEDIONE; ESTRADIOL; and ESTRONE. Most of DHEA is sulfated (DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE SULFATE) before secretion.	Dehydroisoandrosterone,Prasterone,5-Androsten-3-beta-hydroxy-17-one,5-Androsten-3-ol-17-one,Androstenolone,DHEA,Prasterone, 3 alpha-Isomer,5 Androsten 3 beta hydroxy 17 one,5 Androsten 3 ol 17 one,Prasterone, 3 alpha Isomer
D005260	Female		Females
D006063	Chorionic Gonadotropin	A gonadotropic glycoprotein hormone produced primarily by the PLACENTA. Similar to the pituitary LUTEINIZING HORMONE in structure and function, chorionic gonadotropin is involved in maintaining the CORPUS LUTEUM during pregnancy. CG consists of two noncovalently linked subunits, alpha and beta. Within a species, the alpha subunit is virtually identical to the alpha subunits of the three pituitary glycoprotein hormones (TSH, LH, and FSH), but the beta subunit is unique and confers its biological specificity (CHORIONIC GONADOTROPIN, BETA SUBUNIT, HUMAN).	Chorionic Gonadotropin, Human,HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin),Biogonadil,Choriogonadotropin,Choriogonin,Chorulon,Gonabion,Human Chorionic Gonadotropin,Pregnyl,Gonadotropin, Chorionic,Gonadotropin, Human Chorionic
D000311	Adrenal Glands	A pair of glands located at the cranial pole of each of the two KIDNEYS. Each adrenal gland is composed of two distinct endocrine tissues with separate embryonic origins, the ADRENAL CORTEX producing STEROIDS and the ADRENAL MEDULLA producing NEUROTRANSMITTERS.	Adrenal Gland,Gland, Adrenal,Glands, Adrenal
D000324	Adrenocorticotropic Hormone	An anterior pituitary hormone that stimulates the ADRENAL CORTEX and its production of CORTICOSTEROIDS. ACTH is a 39-amino acid polypeptide of which the N-terminal 24-amino acid segment is identical in all species and contains the adrenocorticotrophic activity. Upon further tissue-specific processing, ACTH can yield ALPHA-MSH and corticotrophin-like intermediate lobe peptide (CLIP).	ACTH,Adrenocorticotropin,Corticotropin,1-39 ACTH,ACTH (1-39),Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone,Corticotrophin,Corticotrophin (1-39),Corticotropin (1-39),Hormone, Adrenocorticotrophic,Hormone, Adrenocorticotropic