Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1981 Nov;78(11):7176–7179. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.11.7176

Electrical stimulation of sympathetic nerves increases the concentration of cyclic AMP in rat pineal gland.

W E Heydorn, A Frazer, B Weiss
PMCID: PMC349219  PMID: 6273917

Abstract

Electrical stimulation of the superior cervical ganglia causes a rapid increase in the concentration of cyclic AMP in the pineal gland of rats. This effect is dependent upon the frequency, voltage, and duration of the stimulus and is markedly potentiated by pretreating the animals with desmethylimipramine. The increase in cyclic AMP is blocked by prior treatment of the rats with reserpine, bretylium, or propanolol but not with phentolamine. These results provide direct evidence that electrical stimulation of sympathetic nerves increases cyclic AMP in a target organ through the release of norepinephrine from presynaptic terminals acting on postsynaptic beta-adrenergic receptors.

Full text

PDF
7176

Selected References

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

  1. BOURA A. L., GREEN A. F. The actions of bretylium: adrenergic neurone blocking and other effects. Br J Pharmacol Chemother. 1959 Dec;14:536–548. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1959.tb00961.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beam K. G., Greengard P. Cyclic nucleotides, protein phosphorylation and synaptic function. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1976;40:157–168. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1976.040.01.017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bloom F. E. The role of cyclic nucleotides in central synaptic function. Rev Physiol Biochem Pharmacol. 1975;74:1–103. doi: 10.1007/3-540-07483-x_19. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bowers C. W., Zigmond R. E. Electrical stimulation of the cerivcal sympathetic trunks mimics the effects of darkness on the activity of serotonin:N-acetyltransferase in the rat pineal. Brain Res. 1980 Mar 10;185(2):435–440. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(80)91082-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Brownstein M. J., Heller A. Hydroxyindole-O-methyl-transferase activity: effect of sympathetic nerve stimulation. Science. 1968 Oct 18;162(3851):367–368. doi: 10.1126/science.162.3851.367. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Brownstein M., Axelrod J. Pineal gland: 24-hour rhythm in norepinephrine turnover. Science. 1974 Apr 12;184(4133):163–165. doi: 10.1126/science.184.4133.163. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. GLOWINSKI J., AXELROD J. INHIBITION OF UPTAKE OF TRITIATED-NORADRENALINE IN THE INTACT RAT BRAIN BY IMIPRAMINE AND STRUCTURALLY RELATED COMPOUNDS. Nature. 1964 Dec 26;204:1318–1319. doi: 10.1038/2041318a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Greenberg L. H., Weiss B. Ability of aged rats to alter beta adrenergic receptors of brain in response to repeated administration of reserpine and desmethylimipramine. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1979 Nov;211(2):309–316. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HERTING G., AXELROD J., WHITBY L. G. Effect of drugs on the uptake and metabolism of H3-norepinephrine. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1961 Nov;134:146–153. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. HOLZBAUER M., VOGT M. Depression by reserpine of the noradrenaline concentration in the hypothalamus of the cat. J Neurochem. 1956 May;1(1):8–11. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1956.tb12048.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hauser G., Shein H. M., Eichberg J. Relationship of alpha-adrenergic receptors in rat pineal gland to drug-induced stimulation of phospholipid metabolism. Nature. 1974 Dec 6;252(5483):482–483. doi: 10.1038/252482a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Heydorn W. E., Mendels J., Frazer A. Effects of darkness and of desmethylimipramine on pineal gland concentrations of adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate. Biochem Pharmacol. 1980 May 15;29(10):1341–1346. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(80)90428-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. KAPPERS J. A. The development, topographical relations and innervation of the epiphysis cerebri in the albino rat. Z Zellforsch Mikrosk Anat. 1960;52:163–215. doi: 10.1007/BF00338980. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Klein D. C., Weller J. L. Indole metabolism in the pineal gland: a circadian rhythm in N-acetyltransferase. Science. 1970 Sep 11;169(3950):1093–1095. doi: 10.1126/science.169.3950.1093. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Korf J., Sebens J. B., Postema F. Cyclic AMP in the rat cerebral cortex after stimulation of the locus coeruleus: decrease by antidepressant drugs. Eur J Pharmacol. 1979 Oct 26;59(1-2):23–30. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(79)90020-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Moyer J. A., Greenberg L. H., Frazer A., Brunswick D. J., Mendels J., Weiss B. Opposite effects of acute and repeated administration of desmethylimipramine on adrenergic responsiveness in rat pineal gland. Life Sci. 1979 Jun 11;24(24):2237–2244. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(79)90100-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. O'Dea R. F., Zatz M. Catecholamine-stimulated cyclic GMP accumulation in the rat pineal: apparent presynaptic site of action. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Oct;73(10):3398–3402. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.10.3398. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pelayo F., Dubocovich M. L., Langer S. Z. Regulation of noradrenaline release in the rat pineal through a negative feedback mechanism mediated by presynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors. Eur J Pharmacol. 1977 Oct 1;45(3):317–318. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(77)90018-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Siggins G. R., Battenberg E. F., Hoffer B. J., Bloom F. E., Steiner A. L. Noradrenergic stimulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate in rat Purkinje neurons: an immunocytochemical study. Science. 1973 Feb 9;179(4073):585–588. doi: 10.1126/science.179.4073.585. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Starke K., Montel H., Wagner J. Effect of phentolamine on noradrenaline uptake and release. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmakol. 1971;271(2):181–192. doi: 10.1007/BF00998579. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Strada S. J., Klein D. C., Weller J., Weiss B. Effect of norepinephrine on the concentration of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate of rat pineal gland in organ culture. Endocrinology. 1972 Jun;90(6):1470–1475. doi: 10.1210/endo-90-6-1470. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Van der Heyden J. A., Sebens J. B. Cyclic AMP in the rat cerebral cortex after activation of noradrenaline neurons of the locus coeruleus. J Neurochem. 1979 Feb;32(2):463–468. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Volkman P. H., Heller A. Pineal N-acetyltransferase activity: effect of sympathetic stimulation. Science. 1971 Aug 27;173(3999):839–840. doi: 10.1126/science.173.3999.839. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Weiss B., Costa E. Regional and subcellular distribution of adenyl cyclase and 3',5'-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in brain and pineal gland. Biochem Pharmacol. 1968 Oct;17(10):2107–2116. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(68)90185-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Weiss B. Effects of environmental lighting and chronic denervation on the activation of adenyl cyclase of rat pineal gland by norepinephrine and sodium fluoride. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1969 Jul;168(1):146–152. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES