Endocrinologia Japonica
Online ISSN : 2185-6370
Print ISSN : 0013-7219
ISSN-L : 0013-7219
Volume 38, Issue 1
Displaying 1-18 of 18 articles from this issue
  • P. G. GUNASEKAR, B. KUMARAN, P. GOVINDARAJULU
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 1-8
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    To elucidate the specific influence of prolactin on neutral lipids in Leydig, Sertoli and germ cell compartments of the testis in immature and mature monkeys, the present study was carried out by injecting ovine prolactin (o PRL)(1mg/kg body weight/twice daily for 10 days ip), to both age groups. Similarly, bromocryptine (an ergot alkaloid which inhibits prolactin secretion) was given to other sets of immature and mature monkeys (1mg/kg body weight/twice daily for 10 days ip) to induce hypoprolactinemia. It was observed that after o PRL administration the total lipid accumulated in the germ cells of immature and mature monkeys. Total lipid was markedly decreased in the Leydig cells of mature monkeys only. But no such influence of PRL was evident in the Leydig cells of immature monkeys, suggesting an age-dependent effect of PRL on the Leydig cells. The increase in total lipid in the germ cells following PRL treatment was contributed by mono, di-and triacyl glycerols and free cholesterol. However, an opposite effect of PRL was evident in the Leydig cells of mature monkeys, where the cholesterols and glyceride fractions registered a decrease. The reduced cholesterol fractions in the Leydig cells following PRL treatment suggests the utilization of cholesterol for steroidogenesis. Sertoli cells were found to be comparatively resistant to change in PRL status. Bromocryptine treatment brought about the opposite effect of PRL in almost all parameters studied in both immature and mature monkeys. In general, these findings with prolactin suggests that PRL has a specific and definite influence on testicular neutral lipids and the response of different cellular compartments was found to vary.
    Download PDF (1152K)
  • TATSUYA IDA, HIDESHI KUZUYA, MASAKAZU HATTORI, ETSUKO MARUYA, HIROH SA ...
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 9-13
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    We determined HLA types in 110 Japanese patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and studied the relationship between the HLA phenotypes and clinical features. Sixty-nine patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 100 healthy blood donors served as controls. Concerning HLA DR and DQ loci, frequencies of DR4, DRw9 and DQw3.2 were higher, and those of DR2, DRw8, DRw 11, DRw12 and DQw1 were lower in patients with IDDM compared than in healthy controls. There were no differences between NIDDM and normal controls in the frequency of a particular HLA DR antigen except for a decreased frequency in DRw 11 in the former. The frequency of DQw3.2 antigen in NIDDM was intermediate between IDDM and normal controls. There were some differences between DQw3.2-positive and -negative NIDDM patients in clinical features. Those who showed low C-peptide responses during oral glucose tolerance test were more frequently found among DQw3.2-positive NIDDM patients. These results suggest that Type 1 diabetes mellitus may have a mild clinical course and is found among the Japanese NIDDM population.
    Download PDF (626K)
  • SATOKO HAYASHI, YASUHIKO OKIMURA, HIROJI YAGI, TOSHIYUKI UCHIYAMA, YAS ...
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 15-21
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The effects of intranasal and iv administration of His-D-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys NH2 (GHRP) on plasma GH, PRL, LH, FSH, TSH, cortisol, insulin, IGF-I as well as GHRH-like immunoreactivity (LI) levels were examined in 6 healthy male subjects. An iv bolus injection of GHRP (lμg/kg BW) caused a remarkable increase in plasma GH levels with a mean (±SE) peak of 54.9±4.2μg/L. In addition an intranasal administration of GHRP resulted in a significant, dose-related increase in plasma GH with peaks of 39.6±15.3μg/L at a dose of 30μg/kg BW, 14.1±5.0μg/L at 15μEg/kg BW and 7.5±5.7μg/L at 5μg/kg BW. Plasma PRL and cortisol levels were slightly but significantly increased after iv administration of GHRP, whereas GHRP totally failed to affect plasma TSH, LH, FSH, insulin, blood sugar and GHRH-LI levels. Seven consecutive, intranasal administrations of 15μg/kg BW GHRP every 8h were well tolerated in all subjects examined. During this treatment, GH responsiveness to GHRP was not attenuated by desensitization and plasma IGF-I was increased from 94.5±5.8μg/L before GHRP to 125.8±6.0μg/L after repeated GHRP administration.
    These findings indicate that intranasal administration of GHRP stimulates GH secretion and consequently enhances IGF-I production in normal subjects. If GHRP is demonstrated to be beneficial in the treatment of some patients with GH deficiency, the intranasal route of administration may be more useful than the painful injections because a prolonged period is required for the treatment.
    Download PDF (849K)
  • KEIICHIRO TANIGAWA, NANCY JO LEWIS, NORBERT FREINKEL
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 23-31
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The effects of extracellular inositol and LiCl on intra-islet inositol cycling were investigated in isolated rat islets. Islets were cultured for 7 days in inositol-free RPMI 1640 containing 11.1mM glucose and labeled with 3.7MBq myo-[2-3H] inositol for the final 3days. The labeled islets were then perifused under various conditions. There was a persistent increase in [3H] efflux from labeled islets stimulated with 16.7mM glucose for 60 min. Addition of 5mM inositol resulted in marked release of [3H] from islets and a decrease in radioactive inositol-lipid. When islets were perifused with 5mM LiCl, the glucose-induced efflux of [3H] was greatly inhibited. The inhibitory effect of LiCI on [3H] efflux was partially corrected by the addition of 5mM inositol. A prominent effect of LiCl was an increase in inositol monophosphate, indicating increased phospholipase C activity. This was detected within 5 min after glucose stimulation. The present data suggest that there is always very active intra-islet inositol cycling and that glucose can augument inositol-lipid metabolism.
    Download PDF (1731K)
  • TAMOTU SATO, NOBORU IGARASHI, KAZUHIKO MIYAGAWA, MAKOTO SHIMIZU, TAKES ...
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 33-38
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    To establish a single and reliable test for evaluating growth hormone (GH) secretion, we examined successive GH provocation by two agents with different modes of action, GH releasinghormone (GHRH) and arginine (Arg) in 60 children of short stature, 6 patients with pituitary dwarfism and 9 normal young adults. Their GH profiles were qualitatively classified into 4 types: 25 children and 7 adults responded to both stimuli with 2 GH peaks (48.7±4.3 [SEM]μg/L for GHRH and 32.2±2.6μg/L for Arg in Children; 25.8±7.6μg/L and 30.1±9.2μg/L respectively in adults)(type A). A Single peak tor GHRH (57.7±4.6μg/L) without an Arg-induced peak was obtained in 29 younger children (type B), which is considered to be a GHRH-dominant pattern. Two of them were diagnosed as hypothalamic GHRH deficiency based on a low nocturnal plasma GH and good response to GH treatment. Six adolescents and 2 adults showed a blunted response to GHRH (9.0±1.1μg/L) but a normal response to Arg (40.6±9.5μg/L)(type C), which appears to be caused by somatostatin (SRIH) hypertonicity. None with pituitary dwarfism responded to both stimuli (4.5±1.3 and 2.3±0.5μg/L). Thus, the GHRH-Arg test makes it possible to evaluate the counterbalance between GHRH and SRIH as well as to differentiate pituitary GH deficiency from hypothalamic GHRH dysfunction.
    Download PDF (1294K)
  • KATSUICHI SUDO, KUNIO SHIOTA, TSUNEO MASAKI, TAKESHI FUJITA
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 39-45
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    A new, simple experimental endometriosis model was established by auto-transplanting endometrial tissue fragments beneath kidney capsules in female rats. The transplanted endometrial tissue grew well, forming a fluid-filled cyst, which reached maximal size 2 to 3 weeks after transplantation. The growth and maintenance of the transplants was dependent on the ovary: ovariectomy induced regression of well grown transplants. The therapeutic effects of TAP-144-SR biodegradable microcapsules of copoly (DL-lactic/glycolic acid) copolymer containing a potent GnRH agonist, TAP-144 (D-Leu6-[des-Gly10-NH2]-GnRH ethylamide, leuprolide acetate) were studied with this rat endometriosis model. A single sc injection of TAP-144-SR (corresponding to 1, 10 or 100μg/kg/day of TAP-144), suppressed the growth of the transplanted endometrial tissues and uterine weight in a dose-dependent manner. At 100μg/kg/day, the suppressive effect was more marked in rats given TAP-144-SR than in those given TAP-144 solution. The extent of suppression was comparable to that caused by ovariectomy. Serum and pituitary concentrations of LH and FSH were also reduced more markedly by the administration of TAP-144-SR than by TAP-144 solution. From these results, the present endometriosis model was found to be useful for the evaluation of compounds with potential therapeutic activity. The sustained-release formulation of TAP-144 seems to be beneficial over its solution in terms of both convenience and efficiency for therapy of patients with endometriosis.
    Download PDF (1541K)
  • MANABU SAWADA, KOJI NAKANO, GOJI HASEGAWA, JUNKO SETOGUCHI, HIROFUMI S ...
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 47-52
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The effect of media conditioned by concanavalin A-activated spleen cells (C-sup) on insulin release and its islet cell cytotoxicity were studied. In a functional study, C-sup significantly inhibited both basal insulin release and glucose-stimulated insulin release. Morphologically, C-sup had a destructive effect on isolated islets after 72h incubation. Islet cell cytotoxicity was shown by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay after 5 days incubation with C-sup in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that acceleration of the onset of diabetes in young diabetes prone (DP) Bio-Breeding/Worcester (BB/W) rats following the injection of C-sup may depend on the suppressive and cytotoxic effects of C-sup on pancreatic islet cells.
    Download PDF (1908K)
  • YOSHIMASA TASAKA, HIROSHI MATSUMOTO, YUKIKO INOUE, NAOMI MOCHIZUKI, YU ...
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 53-59
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In order to investigate the metabolic abnormalities in hyperosmolar diabetes from the viewpoint of insulin or glucagon, experimental hyperosmolar diabetes was produced by a combination of cortisol injection and water deprivation or only by the latter in streptozotocin-induced moderately hyperglycemic rat. They had a high blood glucose level and high plasma osmotic pressure. Fasting plasma insulin tended to decrease in the dehydrated state whether diabetic or not. Fasting plasma glucagon was increased to 0.047±0.009 nmol/l (P<0.05) in the non-diabetic dehydrated state (normal 0.026±0.004nmol/l), and a similar high level of plasma glucagon was observed in the dehydrated diabetic rat (0.052±0.020 nmol/l), especially after cortisol treatment. In isolated rat islet, insulin released from the dehydrated diabetic rat at a high concentration of glucose was to some extent lower than that of diabetic rat, and released IRG vice versa. The insulin: glucagon ratio in the presence of high glucose was significantly lower in the dehydrated diabetic rat than in the normal rat (P<0.01). In the diabetic rat this ratio was not significantly different. This finding was also consistent with the results of in vivo experiments. Thus more catabolic hormonal changes were found in in vivo and in vitro studies in the hyperosmolar diabetic rat.
    Download PDF (1382K)
  • MASAO IZAWA
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 61-66
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    To further survey the molecular mechanisms underlying the involution of steroid hormone-dependent rat tissues, we undertook experiments to test whether or not any significant correlation between the tissue involution and expressions of rat sulfated glycoprotein 2 (SGP-2) and pSvr-1 genes, which had been initially cloned from the Sertoli cells and the seminal vesicles, respectively, and then identified as androgen repressed messages both in the ventral prostate and in the seminal vesicles, could be observed in steroid hormone-dependent rat tissues. Expressions of these genes were stimulated within 48 h after castration of animals both in the ventral prostate and in the seminal vesicles as reported previously, but not significantly altered by ovariectomy in the uterus. Expressions of these genes in the thymus were significantly repressed by the administration of dexamethasone and/or cycloheximide. Although the roles of expressions of SGP-2 and pSvr-1 genes in steroid hormonedependent tissues remain unclear, their presence might become useful molecular markers of tissue involution not only in androgen-dependent rat tissues but also in glucocorticoid-dependent ones, and also provide excellent model systems for the study of negative regulation mechanism of gene expression by steroid hormones.
    Download PDF (1817K)
  • YUZO FURUYA, NAOHIDE SATO, YOSHI WATABE, JUN SHIMAZAKI
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 67-73
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    It has been known that estrogen has synergistic effects with androgen on growth of normal male accessory sex organs of rats. The present study was therefore undertaken to examine the effects of estrogen on androgen-responsive rat Dunning R 3327 prostatic tumor. The weight of male accessory sex organs was suppressed by estrogen on growth of treatment, but synergistic effects of estrogen and androgen on these organs were seen following combined treatment with androgen and estrogen. In contrast to the effects of estrogen on accessory sex organs, estrogen influenced a R 3327 tumor only in the negative direction regardless of whether androgen was injected simultaneously or not.
    When the dihydrotestosterone injection was reduced from 500 to 100μg/rat/day after the tumor appeared as subcutaneous nodules, the weight of the accessory sex organs was similar to that of the control animals. However, this amount of dihydrotestosterone increased tumor growth equally when compared to those treated with a pharmacological dose of dihydrotestosterone. Therefore, the response of R 3327 tumor to androgen was different from that of the accessory sex organs.
    Download PDF (2083K)
  • KEIJI YOSHIOKA, TOSHIHIDE YOSHIDA, MOTOHARU KONDO
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 75-79
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    To clarify whether reduced brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis and resting metabolic rate (RMR) are the cause or the consequence of obesity in monosodium-L-glutamate (MSG)-treated mice, we measured guanosine-5'-diphosphate (GDP) binding, and oxygen consumption in the interscapular BAT (IBAT) mitochondria, and the RMR in pre-obese (3-week-old) and obese (12-week-old) MSG-treated mice. Decreases in IBAT mitochondrial GDP binding and oxygen consumption as well as lowered RMR in MSG-treated mice were found even in the pre-obese stage as well as the obese stage, when compared to those in control mice. These findings suggest that reduced BAT thermogenesis may be one of the contributing factors in the development of obesity.
    Download PDF (709K)
  • TATSUO ISHIZUKA, KEIGO YASUDA, NORIYUKI TAKEDA, KAZUO KAJITA, KIYOSHI ...
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 81-87
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    We have examined thrombin-induced metabolism of phosphoinositides in the platelets from fifteen NIDDM (non-insulin-dependent diabetesmellitus) patientsandfifteen healthy subjects (control) The diabetic patients were divided into two groups. One group (group I) had diabetic retinopathy (microangiopathy) and the other group (group II) had atherosclerosis of great vessels (macroangiopathy). In platelets incubated with [32P] orthophosphate for 80min, the incorporation of 32P radioactivity into phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate (PIP) and phosphatidylinositol 4, 5-bisphosphate (PIP2) was significantly lower in the group II than in the control. The addition of thrombin induced a marked decrease in PIP2 radioactivity at 10 sec in platelets from group I compared with that from the control. These results suggest that the breakdown of polyphosphoinositides is increased in platelets from diabetic subjects with retinopathy, and also that the formation of polyphosphoinositides is decreased in the platelets from diabetic subjects with macroangiopathy.
    Download PDF (888K)
  • KAYO WATANABE, ATSUSHI NAKAMURA, NORIAKI SUZUKI, YUTAKA FUTAESAKU, TOI ...
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 89-95
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The in vivo effect of thyrotropin (TSH) on the intracellular localization of thyroid peroxidase (TPO) in rat thyroid epithelial cells was examined by an indirect immunofluorescence method. The staining for TPO in the epithelial cells of normal rats appeared all over the cytoplasm, especially in the apical region. The injection of propylthiouracil for 3-10 days increased the staining in the apical region. The administration of L-thyroxine for 7-10 days to normal rats abolished the relatively high localization of TPO in the apical region, and resulted in TPO staining all over the cytoplasm. Six hours after TSH was injected into the thyroxine-treated rats, localization of TPO staining in the apical region was observed. These results suggest that TSH may play a role in the translocation of preexisting TPO to the apical region before TSH-induced biosynthesis becomes evident.
    Download PDF (3052K)
  • HARUO TAMAKI, NOBUYUKI AMINO, YOSHINORI IWATANI, FUMIO MATSUZUKA, KANJ ...
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 97-101
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    We evaluated clinical usefulness of thyroid microsomal antibody (MCAb) and thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb) measured by new sensitive radioimmunoassays (RIA). These assays are simple and reproducible; the intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 3.6-6.8% and 6.6-13.2% in the MCAb assay, and 3.2-7.7% and 7.6-12.3% in the TGAb assay, respectively. In 126 patients with Hashimoto's disease, the antibody activity determined by this RIA correlated with that determined by the hemagglutination assay (HA)(r=0.848 for MCAb, r=0.686 for TGAb, p<0.001). MCAb was detected by RIA in all of 115 HA-positive and 4 of 11 HA-negative patients, and TGAb by RIA in all of 84 HA-positive and 29 of 42 HA-negative patients; the prevalence of MCAb was 94% and that of TGAb was 90% in the disease. Moreover, some showed high antibody activity only in RIA. In another group of 14 patients with biopsy-proved Hashimoto's disease with no antibody activity by routine HA tests, serum MCAb was detected in 3 (21%), TGAb in 11 (79%), and both activities in 2 (14%). Our results indicate that (1) the RIA tests are more sensitive than the conventional HA test, and that (2) the present RIA test for TGAb is more sensitive than that for MCAb in detecting autoimmune abnormalities, especially inpatients with biopsy-proved Hashimoto's disease who give negative results in the HA test.
    Download PDF (529K)
  • YO KAGEYAMA, HIROMICHI SUZUKI, TAKAO SARUTA
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 103-108
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    A prospective study was carried out on 12 patients with chronic hepatitis who were taking 546 mg/day of glycyrrhizin for 4 weeks in order to identify the factors responsible for the development of hypertension and hypokalemia. In 5 patients, blood pressure increased and serum potassium decreased after the treatment (responders). In the remaining 7 patients, these values were unchanged (nonresponders). There were no significant differences in age, plasma aldosterone, the catecholamine concentrations or serum transaminases. The basal plasma renin activity (PRA) in the responders was more than 1.5ng/ml/h (2.5±0.3ng/ml/h), while that in the non-responders was less than 1.5ng/ml/h (0.7±0.1ng/ml/h). Furthermore, a positive correlation between the basal RPA and the changes in blood pressure, and a negative correlation between the basal PRA and the changes in potassium were found. These results suggest that patients with higher PRA levels are more likely to develop hypertension and hypokalemia when treated with glycyrrhizin.
    Download PDF (667K)
  • AKIRA KITAGAWA, KAZUYUKI KIZUKI, HIROSHI MORIYA, MOTOSHIGE KUDO, TETSU ...
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 109-112
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The presence of kallikrein mRNA has been reported in the pineal gland of rats. Using an antibody to rat tissue kallikrein, we immunohistochemically examined the localization of cell components producing tissue kallikrein in this gland. The kallikrein immunoreactive cells were scattered in the parenchyma of the pineal gland. Their cell bodies were polymorphic with cell processes and a large nucleus similar to that of the pinealocyte. Frequently immunoreactive materials were seen to be localized in the perivascular areas.
    Download PDF (1231K)
  • TAKESHI OHMORI, TAMIO IEIRI, YUMI ASAKURA, YUKASHI OHKI, TADASHI TESHI ...
    1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 113-117
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Recently we have developed an assay method for peroxidase-catalyzed coupling of iodotyronine residues of thyroglobulin, which is applicable to human diseased thyroid tissues. In the present study, the assay method as well as usual peroxidase assay methods were applied to thyroids of three patients (No.1: familial goiter with impaired thyroglobulin synthesis, No.2: mild chronic thyroiditis, No.3: dyshormonogenetic goiter) who showed organification of iodine with high TSH levels and low thyroid hormone levels in sera. In general, these patients showed relatively high activities measured by guaiacol oxidation assay, iodide oxidation and coupling assay compared with those of control thyroids. lodothyronine content in thyroglobulin was very low except thyroxine in No.2. These results indicate that factors other than peroxidase may be responsible for the cause of the hypothyroid state. The coupling assay method used here is therefore useful for the detection of the ‘coupling defect’ in patients in a hypothyroid state.
    Download PDF (748K)
  • 1991 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages e1
    Published: 1991
    Released on J-STAGE: January 25, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Download PDF (39K)
feedback
Top