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Evidence That Hydrogen Sulphide Can Modulate Hypothalamo‐Pituitary‐Adrenal Axis Function: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies in the Rat
Author(s) -
Cinzia Dello Russo,
Giuseppe Tringali,
Enzo Ragazzoni,
Nicola Maggiano,
E. Menini,
Mauro Vairano,
P Preziosi,
Pierluigi Navarra
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of neuroendocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.062
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1365-2826
pISSN - 0953-8194
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2826.2000.00441.x
Subject(s) - medicine , endocrinology , in vivo , incubation , hypothalamus , glucocorticoid , chemistry , endogeny , corticosterone , long term potentiation , hormone , biology , biochemistry , receptor , microbiology and biotechnology
The gas hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) is normally produced in large amounts in the central nervous system during the metabolism of sulphur‐containing aminoacids. H 2 S was recently shown to influence long‐term potentiation in the rat hippocampus; this finding suggested that the gas may act as a neuromodulator in the brain. We therefore tested the effect of the gas on the release of corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH) from rat hypothalamic explants. CRH immunoreactivity in the incubation media was taken as a marker of peptide release. We found that the addition of NaHS to incubation media was consistently associated with a concentration‐dependent decrease in KCl‐stimulated CRH release, whereas basal secretion was unaffected. Increased endogenous H 2 S production may be also obtained using an indirect precursor of H 2 S formation, S‐adenosyl‐ l ‐methionine (SAMe). The latter mimicked the effects of NaHS, since it reduced potassium‐stimulated CRH release. In vivo , SAMe showed no effect on hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) function under resting conditions, but inhibited stress‐related glucocorticoid increase.