Endocrinologia Japonica
Online ISSN : 2185-6370
Print ISSN : 0013-7219
ISSN-L : 0013-7219
Volume 37, Issue 6
Displaying 1-20 of 20 articles from this issue
  • YUJI NAGAYAMA, KAZUYA EISHIMA, HIDESHI HIRAYU, SHUNICHI YAMASHITA, KIY ...
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 769-775
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The present study was undertaken to evaluate whether the normalization of the serum TSH level in a supersensitive assay during the initial treatment with antithyroid drugs (ATD) is a useful indicator for the reduction of the initial dose of ATD in 50 patients with hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease.
    The initial dose of ATD was continued until the achievement of the euthyroid state, and was then reduced either before the serum TSH level was in the normal range in 9 of 29 patients treated with methimazole (MMI)(group MMI-1) and 8 of 21 treated with propylthiouracil (PTU)(PTU-1), or after the serum TSH level was in/above the normal range in 20 of 29 treated with MMI (MMI-2) and 13 of 21 treated with PTU (PTU-2). Although there were no significant differences in age, sex, thyroid function, prevalence of autoantibodies, goiter size, duration of the disease or the initial and modified doses of ATD, the mean durations of the administration of the initial dose of ATD in MMI-2 and PTU-2 were significantly longer than those in MMI-1 and PTU-1, respectively. As a result, 4 (44%) in group MMI-1, 20 (100%) in MMI-2, 2 (25%) in PTU-1 and 7 (54%) in PTU-2 developed low free T4 levels, and 1 (11%) in MMI-1, 15 (75%) in MMI-2 and 3 (23%) in PTU-2 developed low free T3 levels. Serum TSH levels increased over the normal range in 3 (33%) in MMI-1, 18 (90%) in MMI-2 and 5 (39%) in PTU-2.
    The incidences of low free thyroid hormone levels and TSH increase in MMI-2 were significantly higher than those in all the other groups, and the incidence of TSH increase in PTU-2 was significantly higher than that in PTU-l. The mean values for peak TSH in patients whose serum TSH increased to over the normal range were 43.7μU/mL in MMI-1, 43.3 in MMI-2 and 18.2 in PTU-2.
    These data demonstrate that the administration of the initial dose of ATD (particularly MMI) until the normalization of the serum TSH level causes a high incidence of the hypothyroid state.
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  • T. B. NG, H. M. LEE, CHRISTOPHER H. K. CHENG, C. C. WONG
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 777-786
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Pituitary extract of the common rat snake (Ptyas mucosa) was found to be capable of displacing the binding of 125I-labelled ovine prolactin to female rat liver membranes, suggesting the presence of prolactin-like substance in snake pituitary. The snake prolactin-like substance was unadsorbed on Concanavalin A-Sepharose, but adsorbed on DEAE-cellulose. The partially purified snake prolactin-like substance was also capable of displacing the binding of 125I-labelled ovine prolactin to snake kidney and large intestine membranes. Chromatographic fractions derived from snake pituitary and which possessed potent growth hormone receptor binding activity were devoid of prolactin receptor binding activity, suggesting the existence of distinct prolactin-like and growth hormone-like substances in snake pituitary.
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  • KAZUTOSHI OKANO, KAZUKO SASAGAWA, HOZUMI ISOBE, NORIAKI SEKITA, SATOSH ...
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 787-796
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    A housewife, 40 years of age, was admitted with dysesthesia of the extremities, muscle weakness, and attacks of adynamia and thirst. She had been taking a laxative for more than 20 years. On physical examination, blood pressure was 94/56 mmHg. Laboratory tests revealed thrombocytosis, low serum K and marked increases in both plasma renin activity and serum aldosterone. Serum TBG was increased. Serum gastrin was also markedly increased and could not be enhanced by exogenous secretin. Both angiotensin 11 loading test and noradrenalin loading test failed to increase blood pressure. Ammonium chloride loading to examine the disturbance of urinary acidification was abnormal in the short term test and borderline in the long term test. Following a diagnosis of pseudo-Bartter's syndrome induced by long term intake of laxative and repeated diarrhea, the administration of laxative was interrupted and potassium, indomethacin and spironolactone were administered. However, serum K remained low. Hypergastrinemia, thrombocytosis and a high serum TBG level also persisted, the causes of which remain unknown. This is the first reported case of pseudo-Bartter's syndrome associated with hypergastrinemia, thrombocytosis and increased serum TBG.
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  • HIROYASU TSUCHIYA, TOSHIO ONISHI, HEITARO MOGAMI, MINORU IIDA
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 797-807
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Lipid metabolism was studied in 16 acromegalic patients who all underwent transsphenoidal selective pituitary adenomectomy (SPA). Before the operation, their serum lipid levels correlated with none of the basal levels of serum growth hormone (GH), basal levels of plasma somatomedin-C (SM-C), fasting levels of plasma glucose (FPG), peak levels of plasma glucose (PGp) or basal and peak levels of serum immunoreactive insulin (IRIb and IRIp, resp.) in the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and obesity indices. The serum GH levels as well as plasma SM-C levels in the group with decreased serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) differed greatly from those of the normal HDL-C group. However, there was no significant difference in either serum GH or plasma SM-C between groups with and without metabolic abnormality of any other lipid examined.
    After the operation, the basal levels of serum GH and plasma SM-C decreased significantly. In conjunction with these changes, PGp, serum IRIb, serum triglyceride (TG), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) decreased significantly. In contrast, serum HDL-C increased significantly. However, FPG, serum IRIp, obesity indices, serum total cholesterol (TC) and serum low density lipoprotein (LDL) showed no significant change.
    There were no significant differences in the levels of any serum lipid either before or after surgery among the diabetic, borderline and normal types defined by the preoperative OGTT patterns. Atherogenic indices (AIs) decreased significantly and returned to normal postoperatively.
    These results suggest that obesity or secondary diabetes is not a direct cause of hyperlipidemia in acromegaly. The prognosis of acromegaly is affected by arteriosclerotic complications. It is intriguing, therefore, that AIs were normalized by transsphenoidal SPA. Being rather a safe procedure, it can be performed without hesitation, aside from a conservative treatment.
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  • HIROMASA IKEGAMI, KENJI HIROTA, KOJI KOIKE, HIROAKI JIKIHARA, AKIRA MI ...
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 809-817
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The relationship between 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) and calcium-activated, phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) in prolactin (PRL) release was investigated in rat anterior pituitary cells. Arachidonic acid or 5-HETE, a 5-lipoxygenase metabolite of arachidonic acid, is known to cause a significant concentration-dependent increase in PRL release. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and dioctanoyglycerol (diC8) have also been known to stimulate PRL release from pituitary cells, so we showed that these PRL releases were correlated with the activation of protein kinase C, that is, they induced dose-dependent translocation of protein kinase C from the cytosol to the membrane. Arachidonic acid, however, did not cause a significant change in the distribution of protein kinase C. We also showed that the PRL release induced by arachidonic acid and that induced by 5-HETE were additional to that by 100nM PMA.
    Thus we suggested that the signals for the stimulation of PRL release sent by arachidonic acid and 5-HETE would be different from the signal sent through protein kinase C by PMA.
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  • T. MEENA KRISHNA KUMARI, P. GOVINDARAJULU
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 819-825
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The role of prolactin as a diabetogenic hormone was based on studies describing the ability of administered prolactin to raise the level of serum glucose. In the present study, female rats were made hyperprolactinemic by the transplantation of two anterior pituitary glands under the renal capsule, obtained from littermate donors. Chronic hyperprolactinemia increased blood glucose and impaired the glycolytic pathway of hepatic carbohydrate metabolism. However, basal serum insulin values were not different from those of controls. These data suggest that chronic hyperprolactinemia has an hyperglycemic effect and has a significant influence on glucose handling by the liver, through reduced glycolysis.
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  • SUMIO TAKAHASHI, SEIICHIRO KAWASHIMA, HISAO SEO, NOBUO MATSUI
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 827-840
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Growth hormone (GH) secretion declines with age, while prolactin (PRL) secretion increases in rats. The age-related changes in the pituitary GH and PRL mRNA levels in the Wistar/Tw rat were studied at 6, 12 and 18 months of age by cytoplasmic dot hybridization. Hormone and mRNA concentrations were expressed as values per μg GH-cell or PRL-cell DNA. Concurrent decrease in GH concentrations and GH mRNA concentrations with age was observed in female rats, but not in male rats. GH mRNA concentrations (per μ GH-cell DNA) in male rats at 12 and 18 months of age were 88 and 66% of those at 6 months of age, but there was no difference. GH mRNA concentrations in female rats at 12 and 18 months of age were 51 and 53% of those at 6 months of age. A concurrent decrease in PRL concentrations and PRL mRNA concentrations was observed in both male and female rats. PRL mRNA concentrations (per μ PRL-cell DNA) in male rats at 12 and 18 months of age were 37 and 18% of those at 6 months of age. PRL mRNA concentrations in female rats at 12 and 18 months of age were 51 and 31% of those at 6 months of age. Pituitaries in 12-and 18-month-old females contained more PRL and PRL mRNA than those at 6 months of age. These increases in PRL and PRL mRNA contents may result from the increase in the number of PRL cells, although each PRL cell had less PRL and PRL mRNA. These results suggest that the age-related changes in pituitary GH and PRL levels occurred at the transcription level of GH and PRL syntheses, and that the age-related changes in GH-cell and PRL-cell populations are responsible for the changes in GH and PRL secretions.
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  • MASAFUMI HAJI, ATSUSHI OGO, MASAO OHASHI, KENSAKU SEKIYA, RYOICHI TAKA ...
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 841-850
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Adrenocortical adenoma incidentally found in a 37-yr-old female patient, with simple virilizing form of 21-hydroxylase deficiency, was studied. Cultured adenoma cells revealed exessive secretion of 17 a-hydroxyprogesterone in response to 10-8 M ACTH, compared with those of 11-deoxycortisol and cortisol, which indicated impaired activity of the 21-hydroxylase. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of this defective 21-hydroxylase in the adenoma, we analyzed the gene encoding specific cytochrome P450 (P450c21) for steroid 21-hydroxylation and its expression. DNA and RNA were extracted from the adrenal adenoma and were hybridized with a probe of human P450c21 gene, by Southern and Northern blot analysis. In Southern blot analysis with Taq I, Bgl II or Barn HI, there was no difference between the pattern of restriction fragments in DNA from the adenoma and normal peripheral leucocytes. Northern blot analysis of the adenoma showed the same size of P450c21 mRNA as in the normal adrenal gland, but the amount was lowabout a half that of the normal adrenal. In Western blot analysis with polyclonal antibody to P450c21, only a small amount of P450c21 protein was detected in the adenoma, although it was found to be of the same molecular weight as that in the normal adrenal gland. In view of these findings it is conceivable as one of possibilities that a mild and small mutation in the structural or promotor region of the P450c21 gene may cause the decreased 21-hydroxylase activity in this adenoma.
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  • HIROMASA NODA, HIROKAZU SATO, HIRONORI NAKAJIMA
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 851-855
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    To determine whether growth hormone (GH) has any impact on the hyperlipidemia seen in cholestatic patients, graded doses of GH in the sequence of 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6u/kg every other day were administered sc to a patient with Alagille syndrome.
    Serum total cholesterol, phospholipid, and bile acid were measured.
    The serum levels of all three decreased markedly after GH administration and the lowest levels were observed on the second day after the GH dose of 0.4u/kg. However, they increased thereafter despite the administration of an increased dose of GH; especially the serum bile acid level returned to the initial value by day 8.
    Serum levels of SM-C and fT3 were not correlated with the changes in total cholesterol, phospholipid, and bile acid after GH administration.
    We suggest that the administration of GH may affect the state of hyperlipidemia seen in cholestatic patients.
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  • KOICHI KAWAI, HIDEHITO MUKAI, KENJI YUZAWA, SEIJI SUZUKI, NOBUAKI KUZU ...
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 857-865
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    A study relating to gastrin release from gastrinoma cells by neuromedin is and C-terminal decapeptide of gastrin releasing peptide (GRP-10) has not yet been reported. Therefore, we studied the effects of neuromedin B and GRP-10 on gastrin release from cultured dispersed cells prepared from both the primary tumor in the pancreas and the metastatic tumor in the liver from a case of malignant Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Both the primary and metastatic tumors obtained by a curative operation contained similar concentrations of gastrin and glucagon, whereas the primary tumor contained 10 times more insulin than the metastatic tumor. Gastrin release from cultured cells of both tumors was suppressed by 0.1 and 10nM neuromedin B and tended to be suppressed by 0.1-10nM GRP-10. However, insulin release from cultured cells of the pancreatic tumor was stimulated by GRP-10, but not by neuromedin B. These results might suggest that receptor function for the bombesin family peptides is abnormal in gastrinoma cells in both primary and metastatic tumors, and that a major source of insulin secretary cells is the contaminated normal islet cells in the primary tumor.
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  • KOICHI KAWAI, SEIJI SUZUKI, KAZUE TAKANO, NAOMI HIZUKA, YASUKO WATANAB ...
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 867-874
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The infusion of recombinant insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) causes a decrease in plasma glucose and insulin. In this study we examined whether or not IGF-I directly affects islet hormone release by means of a rat pancreas perfusion system. A superphysiologic concentration of IGF-I (2nM) elicited a slight but significant decrease in insulin release under the perfusate glucose concentration of 120mg/dl. A pharmacological concentration of IGFI (200nM) significantly suppressed the increase in insulin release in response to an increase in the perfusate glucose concentration (from 4.5mM to 12.8 mM), but did not affect the decrease in insulin release in response to a decrease in the perfusate glucose concentration (from 6.9mM to 2.8mM). Glucagon release was not influenced by IGF-I in these experiments.
    These results suggest that IGF-I potentially inhibits the insulin release from islet B-cells directly, but its pathophysiological significance may be slight considering its partial inhibition at superphysiologic concentrations and its stable plasma level.
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  • HIDEO HAYASHI, LEILANI B. MERCADO-ASIS, MASANORI MURAYAMA, NORIYOSHI Y ...
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 875-882
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    We report a 37-year old Japanese female patient with Cushing's disease who was treated with a large daily dose of bromocriptine, which resulted in the reduction of the pituitary tumor size with clinical and biochemical improvements. On admission, the pituitary tumor size detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was 12.4×11.1×6.2mm. Both the basal plasma prolactin level and its response to TRH test were normal. The patient was treated with bromocriptine at 5 to 35mg/day. With 35 mg daily, 24-h urinary free cortisol started to decrease and eventually became normal. Four months after initiation of treatment with the drug, there was clinical remission with normalization of suppressibility of plasma cortisol with mg dexamethasone. Repeated examination of the pituitary fossa by MRI showed a marked reduction in the tumor size (6.3×6.2×2.4mm).
    This is a very rare case in which treatment with bromocriptine resulted in a reduction of the pituitary tumor size as well as clinical and biochemical improvements in a patient with normoprolactinemic Cushing's disease.
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  • KEIICHIRO TANIGAWA, SHINICHI TSUCHIYAMA, YUZURU KATO
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 883-891
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In order to elucidate the possible role of C-kinase in exaggerated insulin release in pregnancy, the effects of phorbol ester TPA and a C-kinase inhibitor H-7 were investigated using the isolated perfused pancreas from nonpregnant and pregnant rats. At the termination of perfusion, the insulin content of the perfused pancreas was determined to estimate insulin biosynthesis. Insulin release from the perfused pancreas was markedly augmented by 20nM TPA in the presence of 4.4mM glucose in pregnant rats, but not in nonpregnant rats. When glucose concentrations in the perfusate were raised to 16.7mM, insulin release from the perfused pancreas was profoundly enhanced in pregnant rats. TPA further augmented insulin release, but the insulin content was not affected by TPA. In contrast to the considerable effect of TPA in the presence of 4.4mM glucose, the potentiating effect of TPA on insulin release was rather weaker in pregnant than in nonpregnant rats in the presence of 16.7mM glucose. The release of insulin induced by 16.7mM glucose was inhibited by the addition of 100μM H-7 in nonpregnant rats, whereas insulin release from pregnant rat pancreases was not altered. Thus, the effect of TPA and H-7 on insulin release can be more clearly observed in the β-cells of nonpregnant rats than those of pregnant ones when maximal concentrations of glucose are used as a stimulant. Exaggerated insulin release caused by glucose in pregnancy may be due to already fully activated C-kinase in the β-cells.
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  • SHAN-GUANG LIANG, YUJI TAKETANI, MASAHIKO MIZUNO
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 893-899
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The effect of estradiol on the binding of epidermal growth factor (EGF) was investigated in a rat granulosa cell culture system. Cultured granulosa cells without estradiol possess an EGF receptor with a Kd value of 7.4× 10-10 M and binding sites of 1.45×103 molecules per cell. The addition of estradiol to the culture media resulted in an increase in the binding of EGF in a dose-dependent manner at concentration between 10-9 M and 10-7M. Estradiol at 10-7M produced a 2.5-fold increase in the number of binding sites without affecting the binding affinity. An increase in the binding was observed as early as after 6 h incubation. The addition of testosterone alone had no effect on the EGF binding. However, in the presence of follicle stimulating hormone, it increased the binding dose-dependently. The stimulatory effect of testosterone was completely abolished by an aromatase inhibitor, thus suggesting that estradiol converted from testosterone could be a contributing factor in the mechanism of testosterone action. These observations imply that estradiol may play a role in regulating growth and the differentiation of granulosa cells by modulating the EGF binding.
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  • TAKAO OBARA, YOSHIHIDE FUJIMOTO, MOTOHIKO AIBA
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 901-905
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The proportion of stromal fat cells to parenchymal cells in 100 normal parathyroid glands was determined by the image analyzing computer technique. The parathyroid glands were resected at the time of thyroidectomy in 86 patients with thyroid tumors. None of the patients had any evidence of parathyroid dysfunction preoperatively. In the histologic sections of the parathyroid glands, the average percentage of stromal fat cell content was 38%. The percentage of stromal fat cells was correlated with the age and the body constitution of the patients, but the percentages of fat cells varied widely among glands in the given age and body constitution ranges. It was therefore not possible to discriminate a normal parathyroid gland from an abnormal gland solely on the basis of microscopic determination of stromal fat cell content.
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  • MASAHARU ITO, YOSHIO SAKODA, HITOSHI OKAMURA
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 907-913
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Eleven premenopausal women with uterine myoma who received 300μg of intranasal Gn-RH agonist (buserelin) three times daily for 6 months participated in this study. Serum estradiol, some parameters related to calcium metabolism and bone minearal density of the lumbar vertebrae assessed by quantitative computerized tomography were evaluated prior to, at the end of and 3 months after the treatment. Hypo-estrogenism was sustained during the treatment period. Calcitonin levels decreased rapidly after the first 2 weeks of the treatment and the fasting urinary hydroxyproline to creatinine excretion value increased in 1 month. Both serum alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin increased slightly during the treatment. The serum m-parathyroid hormone levels showed no significant changes. There was no significant reduction in the mean lumbar vertebral bone mineral content (BMC) at the end of the treatment, but 4 out of 11 cases showed a decrease in BMC, which returned to the pretreatment level in 3 months after the cessation of treatment.
    From these findings, this therapy appears to have some effects on calcium metabolism during medication, but no adverse ones in the 3 months after treatment.
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  • HIROMI OHTSUKA, KEISHI YAMAUCHI, NORIKO OHARA, TAKAHIDE MIYAMOTO, KAZU ...
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 915-922
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    We examined the effects of beta-hydroxy butyric acid (B-OH-butyrate) on insulin binding to its receptor and on autophosphorylation of the receptor in vitro. The affinity of isolated rat adipocyte insulin receptors was significantly increased by B-OH-butyrate at neutral pH. Similar results were obtained with soluble insulin receptors prepared from hepatocytes. Autophosphorylation of insulin receptor, however, was not affected by OH-butyrate at neutral pH
    These results seggestd insulin resistance in ketoacidosis is not caused by an interaction between B-OH-butyrate and the insulin receptor.
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  • SATORU SUZUKI, KIYOSHI HASHIZUME, MUTSUHIRO KOBAYASHI, KAZUO ICHIKAWA, ...
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 923-932
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Effects of long-acting somatostain analogue (SMS 201-995) on plasma corticotropin (ACTH) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) levels were studied in a patient (63-year-old woman) with ectopic ACTH-producing tumors associated with type I multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN-I). The patient had undergone bilateral adrenalectomy. Plasma CRH, as well as plasma ACTH, beta-endorphin and alpha-MSH, increased. The hormone levels were dramatically decreased by acute administration of SMS 201-995. Moderately higher doses of dexamethasone (0.05 or 0.1mg/kg a day) did not decrease plasma CRH or ACTH. An extremely high dose of dexamethasone (0.2mg/kg a day), however, decreased plasma ACTH, but failed to decrease plasma CRH. Acute administration of SMS 201-995 further lowered the level of plasma ACTH even in this condition. In addition to the decrease in ACTH, SMS 201-995 decreased plasma CRH. Chronic administration of SMS 201-995 continuously decreased plasma CRH, ACTH and beta-endorphin. The decrease in these hormone concentrations accompanied the disappearance of hyperpigmentation.
    These results suggested that SMS 201-995 inhibits hypersecretion not only of ACTH but also of CRH, and that the agent is therapeutically useful in normalizing the hypersecretion of these hormones.
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  • YUZO FURUYA, NAOHIDE SATO, YOSHIO WATABE, JUN SHIMAZAKI
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 933-942
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Suramin has been shown to inhibit the binding of various growth factors to their receptors. Shionogi Carcinoma 115 cells (SC 115 cells) and Chiba Subline 2 cells (CS 2 cells) are clones of an androgen-responsive mouse tumor cell and its autonomous subline, respectively. Since the growth of SC 115 and CS 2 cells are assumed to be regulated by their own fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-like growth factors, the present study was undertaken to examine the effect of suramin on these cells.
    Suramin inhibited the growth of SC 115 and CS 2 cells in a dose dependent manner. The inhibition of suramin was reversible up to 50μg/ml. Suramin reversibly changed the shape of these cells from fibroblast-like to polygonal and epithelial-like ones, and inhibited 3H-thymidine incorporation into these cells which was evoked by acidic and basic FGFs, and conditioned medium obtained from CS 2 cells. The binding of 125I-basic FGF to SC 115 and CS 2 cells was inhibited by suramin. However, suramin had no effect on growth factor production and the hst-1 gene expression on CS 2 cells. In conclusion, suramin inhibited the autocrine and paracrine growth of SC 115 and CS 2 cells by blocking the binding of autocrine growth factors to their receptors.
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  • HIROMICHI TAMADA, HARUHIKO OHTANI, JUNICHI MORI
    1990 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 943-947
    Published: 1990
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Volume-pressure curves of the uterine ampullae, taken on day 17 of pregnancy from intact pregnant and ovariectomized, vehicle- or estradiol and/or progesterone-treated pregnant rats, during infusion of Ca-free Tyrode's solution containing EGTA at a constant rate were determined, and the effects of the steroids on the Vz value, which was obtained by extrapolating the linear part of the curve to zero pressure, and compliance were evaluated. Both the parameters examined were decreased by ovariectomy. Treatments with estradiol or progesterone alone did not but the steroids combined restored Vz to the level of intact pregnant rats, and partially restored compliance. The significance of the development of Vz by estrogen and progesterone for the maintenance of pregnancy is discussed.
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