Fig. 4.

Effects of antalarmin (ATL) (A and B), a CRH receptor antagonist, and SSR (C and D), an AVP receptor antagonist, on basal and NA-increased plasma ACTH levels. The drugs were dissolved in saline containing 5% dimethylsulfoxide and 5% Cremophor and infused iv for 1 h (from −90 to −30 min; 20 mg/kg·h for ATL, 2 mg/h for SSR) before the first basal sampling at −30 min. SSR effects are short lived, and an additional dose of SSR (1 mg) was given at −10 min. In the bottom panels, ACTH levels with NA represent the averages of the values at 45 and 60 min. Data are means ± sem (n = 5, 5, and 9 for ATL, SSR, and control, respectively). *, P = 0.019; **, P = 0.004 vs. control (unpaired one-tailed t test).