Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Pharmacology
. 1977 May;60(1):59–64. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1977.tb16747.x

Development of nicotinic responses in the rat adrenal medulla and long-term effects of neonatal nicotine administration.

R N Rosenthal, T A Slotkin
PMCID: PMC1667178  PMID: 18246

Abstract

1. The development of nicotinic responses in the rat adrenal medulla was examined at various ages from 1 to 50 days of age by testing the ability of nicotine (10 mg/kg, s.c.) to deplete catecholamines and induce tyrosine hydroxylase. 2. Catecholamines were depleted 25% 3 h after injection of nicotine at all ages tested, but the degree of tyrosine hydroxylase induction 24 h after nicotine increased with age. 3. These data indicate that functional nicotinic receptors are present in the neonatal adrenal medulla before the development of functional splanchnic innervation, but that the development of the ability to induce tyrosine hydroxylase is not coupled directly to the development of secretory mechanisms. 4. The long-term effects of a single dose of nicotine (10 mg/kg, s.c.) administered to one day old rats were also examined. 5. After the short-term catecholamine depletion caused by nicotine, there were persistent elevations of catecholamines and tyrosine hydroxylase until 23 days of age; however, dopamine beta-hydroxylase remained elevated into young adulthood. 6. These data indicate that neonatal nicotine administration can produce long-term changes in adrenal catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes.

Full text

PDF
59

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson T. R., Schanberg S. M. Effect of thyroxine and cortisol on brain ornithine decarboxylase activity and swimming behavior in developing rat. Biochem Pharmacol. 1975 Feb 15;24(4):495–501. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(75)90136-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson T. R., Schanberg S. M. Ornithine decarboxylase activity in developing rat brain. J Neurochem. 1972 Jun;19(6):1471–1481. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1972.tb05090.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Anderson T. R., Slotkin T. A. Effects of morphine on the rat adrenal medulla. Biochem Pharmacol. 1975 Mar 15;24(6):671–679. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(75)90242-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Anderson T. R., Slotkin T. A. Maturation of the adrenal medulla--IV. Effects of morphine. Biochem Pharmacol. 1975 Aug 15;24(16):1469–1474. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(75)90020-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Anderson T. R., Slotkin T. A. The role of neural input in the effects of morphine on the rat adrenal medulla. Biochem Pharmacol. 1976 May 1;25(9):1071–1074. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(76)90499-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Bartolomé J., Seidler F. J., Anderson T. R., Slotkin T. A. Effects of prenatal reserpine administration on development of the rat adrenal medulla and central nervous system. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1976 May;197(2):293–302. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Bartolomé J., Slotkin T. A. Effects of postnatal reserpine administration on sympatho-adrenal development in the rat. Biochem Pharmacol. 1976 Jul 1;25(13):1513–1519. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(76)90070-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Comline R. S., Silver M. The development of the adrenal medulla of the foetal and new-born calf. J Physiol. 1966 Mar;183(2):305–340. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1966.sp007868. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Friedman S., Kaufman S. 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine beta-hydroxylase. Physical properties, copper content, and role of copper in the catalytic acttivity. J Biol Chem. 1965 Dec;240(12):4763–4773. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kershbaum A., Pappajohn D. J., Bellet S., Hirabayashi M., Shafiiha H. Effect of smoking and nicotine on adrenocortical secretion. JAMA. 1968 Jan 22;203(4):275–278. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kulkarni A. S., Shideman F. E. Sensitivities of the brains of infant and adult rats to the catecholamine-depleting actions of reserpine and tetrabenazine. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1966 Sep;153(3):428–433. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. MERRILLS R. J. A SEMIAUTOMATIC METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF CATECHOLAMINES. Anal Biochem. 1963 Sep;6:272–282. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(63)90135-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Molinoff P. B., Brimijoin S., Weinshilboum R., Axelrod J. Neurally mediated increase in dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1970 Jun;66(2):453–458. doi: 10.1073/pnas.66.2.453. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Mueller R. A., Thoenen H., Axelrod J. Effect of pituitary and ACTH on the maintenance of basal tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the rat adrenal gland. Endocrinology. 1970 Apr;86(4):751–755. doi: 10.1210/endo-86-4-751. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Patrick R. L., Kirshner N. Acetylcholine-induced stimulation of catecholamine recovery in denervated rat adrenals after reserpine-induced depletion. Mol Pharmacol. 1971 Jul;7(4):389–396. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Patrick R. L., Kirshner N. Developmental changes in rat adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase, dipamine- -hydroxylase and catecholamine levels: effect of denervation. Dev Biol. 1972 Oct;29(2):204–213. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(72)90057-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rubin R. P., Warner W. Nicotine-induced stimulation of steroidogenesis in adrenocortical cells of the cat. Br J Pharmacol. 1975 Mar;53(3):357–362. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1975.tb07371.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Schneider F. H. Secretion from the cortex-free bovine adrenal medulla. Br J Pharmacol. 1969 Oct;37(2):371–379. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1969.tb10574.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Seidler F. J., Slotkin T. A. Effects of chronic nicotine administration on the denervated rat adrenal medulla. Br J Pharmacol. 1976 Feb;56(2):201–207. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1976.tb07443.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Slotkin T. A., Kirshner N. Recovery of rat adrenal amine stores after insulin administration. Mol Pharmacol. 1973 Jan;9(1):105–116. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Slotkin T. A. Maturation of the adrenal medulla. I. Uptake and storage of amines in isolated storage vesicles of the rat. Biochem Pharmacol. 1973 Aug 15;22(16):2023–2032. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(73)90083-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Slotkin T. A. Maturation of the adrenal medulla. II. Content and properties of catecholamine storage vesicles of the rat. Biochem Pharmacol. 1973 Aug 15;22(16):2033–2044. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(73)90084-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Slotkin T. A. Maturation of the adrenal medulla. III. Practical and theoretical considerations of age-dependent alterations in kinetics of incorporation of catecholamines and non-catecholamines. Biochem Pharmacol. 1975 Jan 1;24(1):89–97. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(75)90319-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Slotkin T. A., Seidler F. J. Acute and chronic effects of nicotine on synthesis and storage of catecholamines in the rat adrenal medulla. Life Sci. 1975 May 15;16(10):1613–1622. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(75)90079-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Slotkin T. A., Seidler F. J., Lau C., Bartolomé J., Schanberg S. M. Effects of chronic chlorisondamine administration on the sympatho-adrenal axis. Biochem Pharmacol. 1976 Jun 1;25(11):1311–1315. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(76)90095-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Suzuki T., Ikeda H., Narita S., Shibata O., Waki S. Adrenal cortical secretion in response to nicotine in conscious and anaesthetized dogs. Q J Exp Physiol Cogn Med Sci. 1973 Apr;58(2):139–142. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Thoenen H., Mueller R. A., Axelrod J. Trans-synaptic induction of adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1969 Oct;169(2):249–254. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Thoenen H. Trans-synaptic enzyme induction. Life Sci. 1974 Jan 16;14(2):223–235. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(74)90052-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Viveros O. H., Arqueros L., Connett R. J., Kirshner N. Mechanism of secretion from the adrenal medulla. IV. The fate of the storage vesicles following insulin and reserpine administration. Mol Pharmacol. 1969 Jan;5(1):69–82. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Waymire J. C., Bjur R., Weiner N. Assay of tyrosine hydroxylase by coupled decarboxylation of DOPA formed from 1- 14 C-L-tyrosine. Anal Biochem. 1971 Oct;43(2):588–600. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(71)90291-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Weinshilboum R., Axelrod J. Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity in the rat after hypophysectomy. Endocrinology. 1970 Nov;87(5):894–899. doi: 10.1210/endo-87-5-894. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Pharmacology are provided here courtesy of The British Pharmacological Society

RESOURCES