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Human follicle- stimulating hormone modulation of adrenal gland activity in the Italian crested newt, Triturus carnifex (Amphibia, Urodela)
No full textABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to verify if human FSH influences the adrenal gland of the newt, Triturus carnifex. Newts were given intraperitoneal injections of human FSH throughout the periods of February–March, and December–January; periods in which newt FSH levels are normally very low. The effects of human FSH on adrenal gland activity were observed in the morphological features of the steroidogenic and chromaffin adrenal cells, and in the serum levels of aldosterone, corticosterone, norepinephrine and epinephrine. The effect of human FSH on the steroidogenic cells was significant during the February–March period; the quantity of cytoplasmic lipids decreased, and the corticosteroid serum levels increased. During the December–January period, the human FSH effects were negligible. The effect of human FSH on the chromaffin cells was significant during both the February–March, and the December–January periods. During February–March, the human FSH increased the numeric ratio of norepinephrine granules to epinephrine granules, and increased the epinephrine serum levels. During December–January, the human FSH decreased the numeric ratio of norepinephrine granules to epinephrine granules, and increased the norepinephrine serum levels. The results of the present study show that human follicle-stimulating hormone influences the activity of the newt adrenal gland, thus indicating a relationship between the annual sexual cycle and the annual adrenal cycle of the newt
Environmental effects of cocaine addiction: the muscle of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) exposed to environmental cocaine concentrations
No full textObjective: Cocaine is a common organic contaminant of the aquatic environment (Pal et al. 2013). Due to its pharmacological activity, its presence in surface waters suggests new hazards, still unknown, for fish, living in contaminated waters. A chronic exposure to environmental cocaine concentrations (20 ng/l) alters the endocrine system of European eels (Gay et al. 2013) that accumulate cocaine into their tissues, especially muscle (Capaldo et al. 2012), the edible part of the animal, suggesting risks for this species and potentially for humans, consuming contaminated fish. Therefore, we aimed to verify whether environmental cocaine concentrations could damage the muscle of the European eel.
Method: Adult eels were divided into four groups (control, carrier, treated, post-exposure recovery), each containing ten specimens. A stock solution of 3 mg/500 ml cocaine free-base in ethanol was prepared. Control, treated and carrier groups were exposed daily, during 50 days, to: tap water; 20 ng/l cocaine; ethanol, respectively; a post-exposure recovery group was exposed to cocaine, as treated group, and then deprived of cocaine and exposed to tap water, during ten days. Plasma levels of the following enzymes and hormones were determined: lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and M1 muscle-specific creatine kinase (M1-CK), well-known indicators of tissue injury; growth hormone- releasing hormone (GHRH) and corticotrophin- releasing hormone (CRH), regulating in the eel growth hormone (GH) release; GH and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), involved in eel muscle metabolism. Samples of muscles were fixed in Bouin solution, embedded in Paraplast and stained with Mallory trichromic stain for histological examination.
Results: Cocaine significantly (P < 0.001) increased the levels of LDH (from 45.30 U/ml in controls to 62.60 U/ml in treated); M1-CK (from 38.52 U/ml to 151.28 U/ml); GHRH (from 2.15 ng/ml to 7.33 ng/ml); CRH (from 50.13 ng/ml to 82.13 ng/ml); GH (from 0.90 ng/ml to 3.27 ng/ml); IGF-1 (from 0.28 ng/ml to 0.85 ng/ml). All the values in post-exposure recovery eels were still significantly (P < 0.001) higher than control values (LDH: 102.50 U/ml; M1-CK: 188.78 U/ml; GHRH: 4.31 ng/ml; CRH: 93.81 ng/ml; GH: 5.37 ng/ml; IGF-1: 0.71 ng/ml). Histological examination revealed striated muscle damages in both treated and post-exposure recovery eels.
Conclusion: The present results show that cocaine, at environmental concentrations, damages the eel muscle physiology and morphology, as shown by the strong increase in plasma enzyme and hormone levels and the alterations of the muscle, also evident in the recovery eels. These results agree with those of previous studies, showing the presence of cocaine (20,17 ± 0.47 pg/g) in the muscle of eels chronically exposed to environmental cocaine concentrations (Capaldo et al. 2012) and showing human muscle damages induced by cocaine (Tóth and Varga, 2009). Moreover, these results indicate that cocaine addiction is not only a human, but also an environmental problem, since cocaine (and probably the other illicit drugs) directly affects fish health, disrupting their muscle and endocrine system. Finally, taken together, the presence of cocaine in the eel muscle, and the alterations, cocaine-induced, in this tissue, suggest probable risks to the human health, through the food chain
Effects of adrenaline administration on the interrenal gland of the newt, Triturus carnifex: evidence of intra-adrenal paracrine interactions.
No full textABSTRACT
The existence of paracrine control of steroidogenic activity by adrenochromaffin cells in Triturus carnifex was investigated by in vivo noradrenaline (NA) administration. The effects were evaluated by examination of the ultrastructural morphological and morphometrical features of the tissues as well as the serum levels of aldosterone, NA, and adrenaline (A). In March and July, NA administration increased aldosterone release (from 187.23 ± 2.93 pg/ml to 878.31± 6.13 pg/ml in March; from 314.60 ± 1.34 pg/ml to 622.51± 2.65 pg/ml in July) from steroidogenic cells. The cells showed clear signs of stimulation, as evidenced by a strong reduction of lipid content.
Moreover, NA administration decreased the mean total number of secretory vesicles in the chromaffin cells in March (from 7.24 ± 0.18 granules/μ2 to 5.57 ± 1.88 granules/ μ2) and July (from 7.74 ± 0.74 granules/ μ2 to 6.04 ± 1.13 granules/ μ2). In March, however, when T.carnifex chromaffin cells contain both catecholamines, NA (3.88 ± 0.13 granules/ μ2) and A (3.36 ± 0.05 granules/ μ2) in almost equal quantities, NA administration reduced A content (1.29 ± 1.04 granules/ μ2) in the chromaffin cells, enhancing adrenaline secretion (from 681.27 ± 1.83 pg/ml to 1527.02 ± 2.11 pg/ml). In July, when the chromaffin cells contain almost exclusively NA granules (NA: 7.42 ± 0.86 granules/ μ2; A: 0.32 ± 0.13 granules/ μ2), NA administration reduced the number of NA granules (5.45 ± 1.10 granules/ μ2), thereby increasing noradrenaline release from the chromaffin cells (from 640.19 ± 1.65 pg/ml to 1217.0 ± 1.14 pg/ml). The results of this study indicate that NA influences the steroidogenic cells, eliciting aldosterone release. Noradrenalin effects on the chromaffin cells, increase of NA or A secretion, according to the period of chromaffin cell functional cycle, may be direct and/or mediated through the steroidogenic cells. The existence of intra-adrenal paracrine interactions in T. carnifex is discussed.
J. Morphol. 259:33–40, 2004
Endocrine Disruption in the European Eel, Anguilla anguilla, Exposed to an Environmental Cocaine Concentration
No full textThe aim of the present study was to verify if cocaine, at environmental concentrations, influences the endocrine system of the European eel. Silver eels (a stage of the eel life cycle preparing the fish for the oceanic reproductive migration) were exposed to a nominal cocaine concentration of 20 ng/l during thirty days; at the same time, control, carrier and post-exposure recovery groups were made. The effects of cocaine were observed in 1) brain dopamine content 2) plasma catecholamine levels: dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine 3) pituitary-adrenal axis activity: plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone, cortisol and aldosterone levels 4) pituitary-thyroid axis activity: plasma thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine and thyroxine levels. In the treated group, brain dopamine, plasma catecholamines, cortisol and TSH levels were higher, whereas ACTH, corticosterone and triiodothyronine levels were lower than controls. In the post-exposure recovery group, brain dopamine, plasma dopamine and epinephrine, and thyroxine levels further increased, whereas plasma norepinephrine, cortisol and corticosterone levels were similar to treated values. Finally, ACTH and TSH were similar, whereas triiodothyronine levels were lower than controls. Aldosterone levels were unaffected by cocaine exposure. The results of the present study show that cocaine, at environmental concentrations, behaves like an endocrine disruptor changing brain dopamine and plasma catecholamine levels, and the activity of pituitary-adrenal/thyroid axes. Since the endocrine system plays a key role in the metabolic and reproductive processes of the eel, our results suggest that environmental cocaine could be considered another cause for the decline in the European eel
Environmental effects of cocaine addiction: the muscle of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) exposed to environmental cocaine concentrations.
No full textObjective: Cocaine is a common organic contaminant of the aquatic environment (Pal et al. 2013). Due to its pharmacological activity, its presence in surface waters suggests new hazards, still unknown, for fish, living in contaminated waters. A chronic exposure to environmental cocaine concentrations (20 ng/l) alters the endocrine system of European eels (Gay et al. 2013) that accumulate cocaine into their tissues, especially muscle (Capaldo et al. 2012), the edible part of the animal, suggesting risks for this species and potentially for humans, consuming contaminated fish. Therefore, we aimed to verify whether environmental cocaine concentrations could damage the muscle of the European eel.
Method: Adult eels were divided into four groups (control, carrier, treated, post-exposure recovery), each containing ten specimens. A stock solution of 3 mg/500 ml cocaine free-base in ethanol was prepared. Control, treated and carrier groups were exposed daily, during 50 days, to: tap water; 20 ng/l cocaine; ethanol, respectively; a post-exposure recovery group was exposed to cocaine, as treated group, and then deprived of cocaine and exposed to tap water, during ten days. Plasma levels of the following enzymes and hormones were determined: lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and M1 muscle-specific creatine kinase (M1-CK), well-known indicators of tissue injury; growth hormone- releasing hormone (GHRH) and corticotrophin- releasing hormone (CRH), regulating in the eel growth hormone (GH) release; GH and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), involved in eel muscle metabolism. Samples of muscles were fixed in Bouin solution, embedded in Paraplast and stained with Mallory trichromic stain for histological examination.
Results: Cocaine significantly (P < 0.001) increased the levels of LDH (from 45.30 U/ml in controls to 62.60 U/ml in treated); M1-CK (from 38.52 U/ml to 151.28 U/ml); GHRH (from 2.15 ng/ml to 7.33 ng/ml); CRH (from 50.13 ng/ml to 82.13 ng/ml); GH (from 0.90 ng/ml to 3.27 ng/ml); IGF-1 (from 0.28 ng/ml to 0.85 ng/ml). All the values in post-exposure recovery eels were still significantly (P < 0.001) higher than control values (LDH: 102.50 U/ml; M1-CK: 188.78 U/ml; GHRH: 4.31 ng/ml; CRH: 93.81 ng/ml; GH: 5.37 ng/ml; IGF-1: 0.71 ng/ml). Histological examination revealed striated muscle damages in both treated and post-exposure recovery eels.
Conclusion: The present results show that cocaine, at environmental concentrations, damages the eel muscle physiology and morphology, as shown by the strong increase in plasma enzyme and hormone levels and the alterations of the muscle, also evident in the recovery eels. These results agree with those of previous studies, showing the presence of cocaine (20,17 ± 0.47 pg/g) in the muscle of eels chronically exposed to environmental cocaine concentrations (Capaldo et al. 2012) and showing human muscle damages induced by cocaine (Tóth and Varga, 2009). Moreover, these results indicate that cocaine addiction is not only a human, but also an environmental problem, since cocaine (and probably the other illicit drugs) directly affects fish health, disrupting their muscle and endocrine system. Finally, taken together, the presence of cocaine in the eel muscle, and the alterations, cocaine-induced, in this tissue, suggest probable risks to the human health, through the food chain
INFLUENCE OF ACETYLCHOLINE ADMINISTRATION ON THE INTERRENAL GLAND OF TRITURUS CARNIFEX (AMPHIBIA, URODELA)
No full textINFLUENCE OF ACETYLCHOLINE ADMINISTRATION ON THE INTERRENAL GLAND OF TRITURUS CARNIFEX (AMPHIBIA, URODELA)
No full textPresence of Cocaine in the Tissues of the European Eel, Anguilla anguilla, Exposed to Environmental Cocaine Concentrations
No full textThe presence of illicit drugs and their metabolites in surface waters has to be considered a new type of hazard, still unknown, for the aquatic ecosystem, due to the potent pharmacological activities of all the illicit drugs. Our research was therefore aimed at evaluating the impact of illicit drugs on the aquatic fauna, till now still undervalued. To this aim, we verified the ability of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla), a well-known biomonitor of environmental contamination, to bioaccumulate cocaine, one of the most abundant illicit drugs found in surface waters. Silver eels were exposed to a nominal cocaine concentration of 20 ng/l for one month; at the same time, control, carrier and post-exposure recovery groups were made. Brains, gills, liver, kidney, muscle, gonads, spleen, digestive tract and sections of dorsal skin were assayed by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Cocaine was found in the tissues of the treated eels, and, at low concentrations, in almost all tissues of post-exposure recovery eels. These results indicate that cocaine is able to accumulate into the eel tissues; its presence suggests potential risks for eels, since cocaine could affect their physiology and contribute to their decline, and for humans, consuming contaminated fis
Influence of acetylcholine administration on the interrenal gland of Triturus carnifex (Amphibia, Urodela).
No full text- …
