Ottenweller J E, Tapp W N, Pitman D L, Natelson B H
Neurobehavioral Unit, Veterans Administration Medical Center, East Orange, New Jersey 07019.
Endocrinology. 1990 Jan;126(1):102-9. doi: 10.1210/endo-126-1-102.
This study examined the effects of aging and chronic congestive heart failure on plasma corticosterone and cortisol levels in hamsters. It also assessed the effects of aging and heart failure on glucocorticoid responses to acute and chronic stress. Aging in healthy hamsters increased plasma cortisol levels, decreased corticosterone levels, and did not change total glucocorticoid levels. A similar pattern occurred as cardiomyopathic (CM) hamsters aged, until they developed severe heart failure. Plasma cortisol levels fell in CM hamsters with severe heart failure, and corticosterone levels remained low, so total glucocorticoid levels fell. Adrenocortical function similarly declined in very old healthy hamsters near the ends of their lives. Adrenocortical responses to acute and chronic stress were diminished in old healthy hamsters, and heart failure in CM hamsters also reduced the glucocorticoid responses to chronic stress. However, heart failure greatly enhanced the cortisol and total glucocorticoid responses to acute stress, but not that of corticosterone. These data suggest a number of conclusions. First, aging clearly changes the the ratio of corticosterone to cortisol in hamster plasma without changing total glucocorticoid levels and blunts adrenocortical responses to acute and chronic stress. Second, ill health, in the form of severe heart failure in CM hamsters and very old age in health hamsters, decreases adrenocortical function. At the same time, heart failure greatly enhances cortisol responses to acute stress. These results indicate that aging and chronic disease in hamsters have many similar effects on adrenocortical function, but that disease alone sensitizes them to the effects of acute stress.
本研究考察了衰老和慢性充血性心力衰竭对仓鼠血浆皮质酮和皮质醇水平的影响。它还评估了衰老和心力衰竭对糖皮质激素对急性和慢性应激反应的影响。健康仓鼠衰老会使血浆皮质醇水平升高，皮质酮水平降低，且总糖皮质激素水平不变。随着患心肌病（CM）的仓鼠衰老，会出现类似的模式，直到它们发展为严重心力衰竭。患有严重心力衰竭的CM仓鼠血浆皮质醇水平下降，皮质酮水平仍保持较低，因此总糖皮质激素水平下降。在生命接近尾声的非常年老的健康仓鼠中，肾上腺皮质功能同样下降。年老健康仓鼠对急性和慢性应激的肾上腺皮质反应减弱，CM仓鼠的心力衰竭也降低了对慢性应激的糖皮质激素反应。然而，心力衰竭极大地增强了对急性应激的皮质醇和总糖皮质激素反应，但对皮质酮反应没有增强。这些数据表明了一些结论。第一，衰老明显改变了仓鼠血浆中皮质酮与皮质醇的比例，而不改变总糖皮质激素水平，并减弱了肾上腺皮质对急性和慢性应激的反应。第二，以CM仓鼠的严重心力衰竭和健康仓鼠的高龄形式出现的健康不佳会降低肾上腺皮质功能。同时，心力衰竭极大地增强了对急性应激的皮质醇反应。这些结果表明，仓鼠的衰老和慢性疾病对肾上腺皮质功能有许多相似的影响，但仅疾病会使它们对急性应激的影响敏感。
