Lesniewska B, Nowak M, Miskowiak B, Nussdorfer G G, Malendowicz L K
Poznan Academy of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryoloy, Poland.
Exp Pathol. 1991;43(3-4):181-8. doi: 10.1016/s0232-1513(11)80115-5.
Weekly infusion with arginine vasopressin (AVP) (2 micrograms.kg-1.day-1) exerted a slight stimulatory effect on the adrenal growth of intact female rats and induced a 2-fold rise in plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC), without apparently affecting corticosterone (B) and ACTH secretions. Weekly dexamethasone (Dx) administration (125 micrograms.kg-1.day-1) caused a marked adrenal atrophy, a conspicuous suppression of B and ACTH productions, and a 5-fold increase in PAC. AVP infusion reversed the Dx-induced adrenal atrophy. It did not counteract the suppression of B and ACTH secretions, nor did it change PAC. These findings suggest that chronic AVP treatment is able to stimulate adrenal growth by a Dx-insensitive mechanism (i.e. independent of any change in ACTH secretion). Conversely, AVP may enhance the steroid secretory capacity only in adrenocortical cells in which the maintenance of the steroidogenic machinery is assured by normal levels of circulating ACTH.
每周输注精氨酸加压素（AVP）（2微克·千克⁻¹·天⁻¹）对完整雌性大鼠的肾上腺生长有轻微刺激作用，并使血浆醛固酮浓度（PAC）升高2倍，而对皮质酮（B）和促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）分泌无明显影响。每周给予地塞米松（Dx）（125微克·千克⁻¹·天⁻¹）可导致明显的肾上腺萎缩、显著抑制B和ACTH的产生，以及PAC升高5倍。输注AVP可逆转Dx诱导的肾上腺萎缩。它既不抵消对B和ACTH分泌的抑制作用，也不改变PAC。这些发现表明，慢性AVP治疗能够通过一种对Dx不敏感的机制（即独立于ACTH分泌的任何变化）刺激肾上腺生长。相反，AVP可能仅在肾上腺皮质细胞中增强类固醇分泌能力，在这些细胞中，类固醇生成机制的维持由正常水平的循环ACTH保证。
