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Amylin and gastrointestinal activity
1. Amylin is a new pancreatic islet peptide with a role in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. 2. Amylin is predominantly present in the beta cells of the pancreas and to a lesser extent in the gastrointestinal tract and in the nervous system, where amylin mRNA is also present along with specific binding sites. 3. Amylin given peripherally or centrally inhibits acid gastric secretion in a dose-dependent manner and has a protective effect against indomethacin- or ethanol-induced ulcers only when injected centrally. 4. Subcutaneous or central injection of amylin produces a dose-dependent inhibition of gastric emptying, which may contribute to the activity of amylin in the regulation of carbohydrate absorption. In addition amylin inhibits food intake both when injected peripherally or centrally. 5. Amylin may thus be considered a novel brain-gut peptide taking part in the rapid endocrine response during digestion to maintain euglycemia
[Significance of chorionic somatomammotrophin levels under various conditions of a pregnant woman]
Inhibitory effects of centrally administered /ASU1-7/eel calcitonin on basal and stimulated prolactin release in rats
We investigated the effects of /ASU1-7/eel calcitonin (ASU1-7eelCT) on basal and stimulated prolactin (PRL) release in male rats. /ASU1-7/eelCT was administered intracerebroventricularly (icv) into freely moving rats with indwelling catheters. The administration of /ASU1-7/eelCT (2.5 micrograms/rat, icv) significantly inhibited basal PRL secretion. When PRL secretion was stimulated by exposing rats to restraint stress, /ASU1-7/eelCT (250 ng; 800 ng; 2.5 micrograms/rat, icv) dose-relatedly inhibited the PRL surges at 10 min after stress. The same doses of icv /ASU1-7/eelCT were effective in inhibiting morphine (6 mg/kg, intracarotid, ia-induced PRL release. No effect on stress-induced PRL secretion was observed when the peptide was administered intracarotid at the dose of 10 micrograms/rat. These results demonstrate that /ASU1-7/eelCT, as we previously observed with salmon calcitonin (sCT), has central inhibitory activity on PRL secretion, probably through enhancement of hypothalamic inhibitory pathways involved in the control of PRL
Induction of estrus in cows by a new analogue of PGF2 alpha (alfaprostol)
A new analogue of PGF2 alpha, alfaprostol, was used to induce estrus in normally cycling and anestrous cows. Five groups of six animals were treated with single injections of different doses of the drug (4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 mg/animal) on day 10-11 of the estrous cycle. Six cows in anestrus, with palpable corpora lutea, were treated i.m. with 8 mg/animal. The luteolytic properties of alfaprostol were assessed by measuring milk progesterone by RIA for 96 h after treatment and by checking for the subsequent signs of estrus. The dose of 4 mg caused a slight fall in progesterone but did not induce heat; the 5 and 6 mg doses induced estrus in 3/6 animals and the 7 mg dose was effective in 4/6 animals. The 8 mg dose produced a sharp reduction in milk progesterone within 24 h, followed by estrus in both the normally cycling and the anestrous groups in 6/6 animals. No clinical signs of drug intolerance were seen. The present results show that alfaprostol might be of great use for both cycle synchronization in normally cycling cows and for treatment of anestrus caused by a persistent corpus luteum
Amylin given by central and peripheral routes inhibits acid gastric secretion
The effect of rat amylin on acid gastric secretion in the pylorus-ligated, unanesthetized rat system (Shay test) was examined. Amylin administered peripherally (2.5, 5, 10, 40, 100, or 160 micrograms/kg, SC) or intracerebroventricularly (1.5, 2.7, or 5 micrograms/rat, ICV) decreased acid gastric secretion in a dose-dependent manner. Central administration of amylin gave a stronger suppression of gastric secretion than peripheral injection. In addition, ICV-injected amylin inhibited insulin-stimulated acid gastric secretion and was effective in suppressing acid gastric secretion in rats depleted of somatostatin by pretreatment with cysteamine. This study suggests that amylin may participate in the central regulation of acid gastric secretion and indicates a possible biological function of amylin as a gastrointestinal peptide
Calcitonin binding site distribution in the cat central nervous system: a wider insight of the peptide involvement in brain functions
Calcitonin (CT) binding site distribution has been studied in the cat CNS. The autoradiographic analyses of [125I]-eelCT (ECT) binding showed high density of silver grains in the mesencephalic PAG, in the raphe nuclei and in the dorsal horns, laminae I, IV, V, and VI, where ECT may act to inhibit nociceptive transmission. Other binding-rich areas included the caudatus, the amygdala, the hypothalamus, the substantia nigra, the locus coeruleus and the formatio reticularis mesencephalica. Medium to low density was seen, amongst other areas in the cortex piriformis, the hippocampus, the medial and intralaminar thalamus and the tractus spino-thalamicus. ECT binding site distribution revealed essentially homologous locations in the cat and rat CNS. At difference, the presence of binding in the piriform cortex and in discrete thalamic nuclei suggests a widespread involvement of ECT in a variety of central functions in addition to what already demonstrated
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