TY - JOUR
T1 - Involvement of central neurotensin in thermoregulatory and neuroimmune function in pregnant rats exposed to heat
AU - Nakamura, Hiroyuki
AU - Seto, Toshio
AU - Nagase, Hirofumi
AU - Yoshida, Masami
AU - Hatta, Kotaro
AU - Matsuzaki, Ichiyo
AU - Ogino, Keiki
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by Grant-in Aid for Scientific Research (C; 07670431) from Ministry of Education, Science and Cultures of Japan for 1995–1996. We are indebted to the president of Kanazawa University, Dr. Akira Okada, for his kind support and interest regarding this work.
PY - 1997/6
Y1 - 1997/6
N2 - To examine a functional relationship among pregnancy and central neurotensin and thermoregulatory and neuroimmune systems during heat stress, we monitored colonic temperature in six virgin female rats and six pregnant rats (9 to 11 days gestation) exposed to a microwave source. We also assayed splenic natural killer cell activity (NKCA), blood corticosterone (CS), and ACTH as indicators of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, β-endorphin (PEP), and neurotensin (NT) in discrete brain regions. Additionally, we clarified the effects of intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of NT antiserum on these same responses in pregnant rats exposed to heat stress. Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant main effects of heat and pregnancy and a significant interactive effect on colonic temperature. Significant elevation in blood CS, ACTH, β-EP, and NT in the hypothalamus and significant reductions in splenic NKCA and NT in the nucleus accumbens were produced by hear. In the experiment examining the effect of icv administration of NT antiserum, significant main effects of heat and administration and a significant interactive effect on colonic temperature were observed. Icv administration of NT antiserum increased splenic NKCA and decreased blood β-EP. These results show that pregnancy enhances thermal homeostasis, suggesting central thermoregulatory mechanisms through NT in nucleus accumbens and hypothalamus in which placental or pituitary β-EP may be involved. NT and β-EP seem to play central roles simultaneously in heat-induced immunosuppression during pregnancy. Clarification for the effects of NT antiserum on β-EP in virgin rats or manipulation of agents related to opioid system should be the focus of future work.
AB - To examine a functional relationship among pregnancy and central neurotensin and thermoregulatory and neuroimmune systems during heat stress, we monitored colonic temperature in six virgin female rats and six pregnant rats (9 to 11 days gestation) exposed to a microwave source. We also assayed splenic natural killer cell activity (NKCA), blood corticosterone (CS), and ACTH as indicators of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, β-endorphin (PEP), and neurotensin (NT) in discrete brain regions. Additionally, we clarified the effects of intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of NT antiserum on these same responses in pregnant rats exposed to heat stress. Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant main effects of heat and pregnancy and a significant interactive effect on colonic temperature. Significant elevation in blood CS, ACTH, β-EP, and NT in the hypothalamus and significant reductions in splenic NKCA and NT in the nucleus accumbens were produced by hear. In the experiment examining the effect of icv administration of NT antiserum, significant main effects of heat and administration and a significant interactive effect on colonic temperature were observed. Icv administration of NT antiserum increased splenic NKCA and decreased blood β-EP. These results show that pregnancy enhances thermal homeostasis, suggesting central thermoregulatory mechanisms through NT in nucleus accumbens and hypothalamus in which placental or pituitary β-EP may be involved. NT and β-EP seem to play central roles simultaneously in heat-induced immunosuppression during pregnancy. Clarification for the effects of NT antiserum on β-EP in virgin rats or manipulation of agents related to opioid system should be the focus of future work.
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U2 - 10.1006/brbi.1997.0487
DO - 10.1006/brbi.1997.0487
M3 - Article
C2 - 9299063
AN - SCOPUS:0031171081
VL - 11
SP - 141
EP - 152
JO - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
JF - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
SN - 0889-1591
IS - 2
ER -