Andreis P G, Neri G, Belloni A S, Mazzocchi G, Kasprzak A, Nussdorfer G G
Department of Anatomy, University of Padua, Italy.
Endocrinology. 1991 Jul;129(1):53-7. doi: 10.1210/endo-129-1-53.
Interleukin-1 (IL-1), a monokine released by activated monocytes during the acute phase of the inflammatory responses, has been reported to enhance hypophyseal ACTH release mainly by stimulating hypothalamic CRF secretion. We investigated a possible direct effect of IL-1 beta on the adrenal gland of the rat. IL-1 beta was found to dose-dependently (4-8 micrograms/kg) raise corticosterone (B) blood concentration in hypophysectomized rats, without inducing any significant increase in the level of circulating ACTH. IL-1 beta did not affect B production by either isolated rat inner adrenocortical cells or fragments of adrenocortical autotransplants lacking chromaffin cells, but dose-dependently (10(-8)-10(-6) M) enhanced that by adrenal slices including both cortex and medulla. The secretory effect of IL-1 beta (10(-6) M) was completely blocked by both alpha-helical-CRF (10(-6) M) and corticotropin-inhibiting peptide (10(-6) M), two competitive inhibitors which (at these concentrations) were able to annul B response of adrenal slices to CRF (10(-6) M) and ACTH (10(-8) M), respectively. In light of many findings indicating that adrenal medulla contains and releases CRF and numerous POMC-derived peptides (including ACTH), the hypothesis is advanced that the mechanism underlying the direct secretory effect of IL-1 beta on the adrenal gland may involve the activation of an intraadrenal CRF/ACTH system.
白细胞介素-1（IL-1）是炎症反应急性期活化单核细胞释放的一种单核因子，据报道它主要通过刺激下丘脑促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子（CRF）分泌来增强垂体促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）的释放。我们研究了IL-1β对大鼠肾上腺可能的直接作用。结果发现，IL-1β能使垂体切除大鼠的皮质酮（B）血浓度呈剂量依赖性（4 - 8微克/千克）升高，而循环ACTH水平无显著升高。IL-1β对分离的大鼠肾上腺皮质内细胞或缺乏嗜铬细胞的肾上腺皮质自体移植片的B分泌无影响，但对包含皮质和髓质的肾上腺切片，能使其B分泌呈剂量依赖性（10⁻⁸ - 10⁻⁶摩尔/升）增强。IL-1β（10⁻⁶摩尔/升）的分泌作用被α-螺旋-CRF（10⁻⁶摩尔/升）和促肾上腺皮质激素抑制肽（10⁻⁶摩尔/升）完全阻断，这两种竞争性抑制剂（在这些浓度下）分别能消除肾上腺切片对CRF（10⁻⁶摩尔/升）和ACTH（10⁻⁸摩尔/升）的B反应。鉴于许多研究结果表明肾上腺髓质含有并释放CRF和多种源自阿片-促黑素细胞皮质素原（POMC）的肽（包括ACTH），有人提出假说，IL-1β对肾上腺直接分泌作用的潜在机制可能涉及肾上腺内CRF/ACTH系统的激活。
