Age-dependent changes in the beta-endorphin content of discrete rat brain nuclei

Senescent change in tissue weight and immunoreactive beta-endorphin, enkephalin, and vasopressin in eight regions of C57BL/6J mouse brain and pituitary

Tissue weights and immunoreactive (IR) content and concentration of beta-endorphin, enkephalin, and vasopressin were assayed for senescent change in anterior pituitary, neurointermediate pituitary, hypothalamus, hippocampus, striatum, dorsolateral cortex, and pons-medulla, as well as residual brain samples remaining after the other dissections. Groups of naive male C57BL/6J mice, 8-12 months old and 28-32 months old, served as subjects. Old mice exhibited significant decline in anterior pituitary and hippocampus weight. Significant increases with age were found in pons-medulla weight. IR beta-endorphin content decreased in hypothalamus and neurointermediate pituitary. IR enkephalin decreased in striatum and dorsolateral cortex. IR vasopressin content increased in hypothalamus and residual brain. Assays were replicated in later experiments using additional subjects, for total Ns of up to 54 mice. Although significant overall results were always consistent in direction from replication to replication, the magnitude of age change exhibited considerable variability. Such results suggest that single experiments on age changes in neuropeptides, particularly those giving negative results, should be carefully scrutinized and replicated before their acceptance as evidence for a transmitter's stability or instability throughout the lifespan.

The influence of opiate agonists on day-night feeding rhythms in young and old mice

Daily rhythms of feeding behavior and responses to ketocyclazocine, morphine and naloxone were measured in young (1-2 months) and old (24-30 months) male CF-1 mice. All of the mice consumed more food at night than in the day-time, though this nocturnal peak was markedly reduced in the old animals, who consumed more in the day. The young mice also displayed a significant nocturnal enhancement in ketocyclazocine- and morphine-stimulated feeding. This day-night rhythm in ingestive responses was absent in the old mice. In comparison to the young mice, the opiate-stimulated food consumptions of the old animals were reduced at all times. Additionally, the old animals failed to show any day-night variations in the suppressive effects of naloxone on deprivation-induced food intake that were displayed by the young animals.

The effects of aging on day-night rhythms of kappa opiate-mediated feeding in the mouse

Day-night rhythms in feeding behavior and response to the specific kappa opioid agonist U-50,488H (0.10-10. mg/kg) were measured in young (1-2 months), mature (8-12 months) and old (24-30 months) male CF-1 mice. All the mice consumed more food at night than in the day-time, though this nocturnal peak was markedly reduced in old and mature animals. Young mice also displayed a significant, dose-related, nocturnal enhancement in U-50,488H-stimulated feeding. This day-night rhythm was reduced in mature animals and absent in old mice. In old mice, U-50,488H significantly stimulated feeding only after the high dose of 10 mg/kg. Additionally, old animals did not show the dose-dependent latency to initiation of feeding after administration which was observed in young mice and to a lesser extent in mature animals.

Circadian rhythms in the aged: a review

After a review of the fundamental concepts on chronobiology, the importance of circadian rhythms in the aged was examined on the basis of the data obtained in animals and humans, including personal observations on over 40 blood constituents. During ageing there are significant modifications of circadian rhythms, with frequent diminution of amplitude and a shift of acrophase. The biological, clinical and therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed.

Age-related and diurnal changes in Met5-Enk-Arg6-Phe7 and Met5-enkephalin contents of pituitary and rat brain structures

The beta-endorphin, met5-enkephalin-arg6-phe7 (MEAP) and met5-enkephalin (ME) changes related to age and diurnal rhythms were studied in various regions of rat brain and in the pituitary by specific radioimmunoassays. The contents of MEAP, met5-enkephalin and beta-endorphin were higher in the pituitary of old rats (18 months old) than that of young rats (23 days old) while the content of these opioid peptides was higher in the hypothalamus of young rats than in that of old rats. Beta-endorphin was also higher in the striatum of 23 days old rats, but no age-associated changes were observed in the hippocampus, brain stem or cortex. In the diurnal rhythm study, it was found that in the hypothalamus and striatum of the adult rat (2-3 months old), both MEAP and ME contents were higher at mid-dark than at mid-light and that in the intermediate posterior lobe of the pituitary, the ME content was also higher at mid-dark.

Brain and pituitary beta-endorphin levels at different developmental stages of the rat

beta-Endorphin-like immunoreactivity in whole brains of Sprague-Dawley rat fetuses of different gestational ages was measured by radioimmunoassay and found to increase throughout the gestational period studied. The immunoreactivity in various brain parts (forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain, hypothalamus and pituitary) of late prenatal, early postnatal, young mature and retired breeder rats was also determined. In all the brain parts studied, a maximum in the content and concentration of beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity was attained when the rats were about 3-4 months old.

Immunoreactive-beta-endorphin and LHRH levels in the brains of aged male rats with impaired sex behavior

Levels of immunoreactive beta-endorphin and luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) were measured in brain tissue of aged male Long-Evans rats. The animals were tested for sex behavior twice in one week at bimonthly intervals between the 7th and 27th month of life and were sacrificed along with a group of young (5-month old) sexually active rats. Thirty-one of the 89 rats which began the study remained healthy and tumor-free. By month 27, 21 of these had completely ceased to mate and 10 continued to show adequate sexual behavior. Diminished levels of beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity were measured in the hypothalami and hindbrain of the old animals grouped together as compared to young animals and this reduction was shown to be significantly greater in hypothalamic tissue from the behaviorally inactive subgroup. Hypothalamic LHRH levels were not significantly altered by age in these animals. However, a marked reduction of LHRH content in the septal and midbrain regions of the aged-behaviorally inactive subgroup was evident when compared with the behaviorally active group. The data suggest that altered function of beta-endorphin and LHRH neurons of the aged brain may be involved in the behavioral deterioration observed in aged animals.

Daily rhythms of analgesia in mice: effects of age and photoperiod

Daily rhythms in response to aversive thermal stimulation and the analgesic effectiveness of morphine were assessed by the hot-plate method with young (1-2 months), mature (8-12 months) and old (20-30 months) mice exposed to various light-dark conditions (LD 12:12; 16:8; 8:16 h). The patterns of response after saline or morphine varied with the specific light-dark conditions examined, but routinely, there were increases in response latency from the early portions of the light phase to later time, and a further enhancement of the time to respond with onset of the dark phase. The dark-phase response declined abruptly with the start of the light-phase. Significant age-related declines were observed in the elevated, dark-phase morphine-analgesic and basal aversive responses, with no consistent effects of age evident in the light-phase.

Decreased level of beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with senile dementia of Alzheimer type

beta-Endorphin-like immunoreactivity in cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) was observed to decrease in patients with Huntington's disease and dementia due to brain vascular disease. The greatest decrease was seen in patients with presenile and senile dementia of Alzheimer type(SDAT). The immunoreactivity significantly correlated with psychological functions when examined using a dementia rating scale (r=0.51, p less than 0.01, for all dementia, r=0.65, p less than 0.02, for only SDAT). These results suggest that a B-endorphin-like substance may be related in the pathophysiology of dementia.

Immunoreactive beta-endorphin in the plasma, pituitary and hypothalamus of young female rats on the day of estrus and intact and chronically castrated old constant estrous female rats

Immunoreactive beta-endorphin (IR-beta-ENDO) was compared in the plasma, pituitary and hypothalamus of young female rats on the day of estrus and old constant estrous (CE) female rats, and in intact and chronically castrated old CE female rats. The concentration of IR-beta-ENDO in the plasma and the content and concentration of IR-beta-ENDO in the neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary were significantly greater in the old CE female rats than in the young female rats on the day of estrus. The content and concentration of IR-beta-ENDO in the anterior pituitary and hypothalamus were similar in the two age groups. To determine if estrogen contributed to the increase in plasma and pituitary levels of IR-beta-ENDO observed in the old animals, a group of old CE female rats were castrated and compared to sham operated control CE rats. Thirty days after castration, levels of plasma, pituitary and hypothalamic IR-beta-ENDO were comparable in the intact and the chronically castrated old female rats. These data indicate that in old CE female rats, plasma and pituitary IR-beta-ENDO are significantly increased in comparison to young female rats on the day of estrus, and that these increased levels of IR-beta-ENDO observed in old female rats do not appear to be influenced by gonadal estrogen.

Beta-endorphin: effect on thermoregulation in aged monkeys

In previous experiments small doses of the opiate morphine produced greater hyperthermia in aged than in younger sub-human primates. To test whether this augmented response is due to enhanced sensitivity of CNS opioid receptors with age, beta-endorphin (0.625-5 micrograms), an endogenous opioid peptide, was injected into the lateral cerebral ventricle (ICV) of young (less than 9 years) and aged (greater than 9 years) squirrel monkeys. Significantly greater hyperthermias developed in the older primates after each dose. In the aged monkeys, all but the smallest dose increased core temperature about 1.5 degrees C within 1 hr after injection. Mean rectal temperature in the younger animals rose 0.5-0.7 degrees after all but the largest dose (1-1.5 degrees C rise). Both groups maintained an elevated body temperature after central beta-endorphin throughout the 5 hr recording period. 1.25 micrograms beta-endorphin given ICV in a hot environment (30 degrees C) caused greater hyperthermia in older animals. This dose given in the cold (18 degrees C) caused large changes in temperature of the aged monkeys, either hyperthermia or marked decreases, whereas the young primates developed only moderate rises in body temperature. The same dose of morphine sulfate (1.25 micrograms) ICV produced similar changes in core temperature in the two age groups in each ambient temperature. These results indicate that: (1) stimulation of CNS opioid receptors influences thermoregulation and (2) aging increases responsiveness to such stimulation.

Different patterns of central and peripheral beta EP, beta LPH and ACTH throughout life

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between central and peripheral concentrations of proopiocortin-related peptides in different periods of life. One hundred and eighty-nine plasma samples from normal subjects (18-87 years) obtained in basal conditions, and 20 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples obtained by lumbar puncture from healthy volunteers (18-75 years) were studied. beta Lipotropin (beta LPH), beta endorphin (beta EP) and ACTH were measured by specific RIA after silicic acid plasma extraction and gel chromatography (beta LPH and beta EP). No sex differences were found in the patterns of the three peptides either in the plasma or in CSF. In the plasma samples, both beta LPH and beta EP concentrations showed a pattern throughout life which was expressed by a paraboloid function with the lowest values found in young and old subjects and with peaks at 51.3 and 48.2 years, respectively. On the contrary, ACTH values failed to be represented by a significant linear or curvilinear regression and presented only a slight decrease in subjects over 75 years of age. CSF levels of beta LPH were significantly lower in 45-76 year old subjects (18.8 +/- 12.6 fmol/ml, M +/- SD) than in 18-44 year old subjects (34.5 +/- 15.8; p less than 0.05), as were those of beta EP (elderly: 41.2 +/- 19.7; young: 94.2 +/- 36.7; p less than 0.05), which showed a significantly linear inverse correlation with age (r = 0.6062, p less than 0.01). These CSF samples did not show any ACTH variations connected with age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effects of aging on opioid modulation of feeding in rats

Feeding responses to naloxone and butorphanol tartrate were measured in Fisher-344 rats with ages of 2, 12, 22 and 28 months. The two younger groups were 10-100 times more sensitive than the older groups to the suppressive effects of naloxone on feeding. Additionally, the older rats were less responsive to the feeding enhancement following butorphanol injections. These results are consistent with reports of age-related changes in endogenous opioid systems.

Decreased content of met-enkephalin-like peptides in superior cervical and coeliac ganglia of aged rats

Enkephalin like peptides seem to have an important regulatory role at ganglia level. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether the content of enkephalin-like peptides in sympathetic ganglia is affected by the aging process. The results show that the enkephalin like peptides content is low in superior cervical and coeliac ganglia of aged rats (25 months). The age-related decrease of enkephalin content in these structures may be of importance in determining an altered sympathetic control during aging.

Age related changes of enkephalin in rat spinal cord

Met-enkephalin immunoreactive material content was found to be decreased in the cervical and thoracic segments of the spinal cord from rats aged 25 months as compared to young, 3-month-old, rats. No age-related variations were detectable at the lumbar level. Bio-Gel P 30 column chromatography of thoracic segment extracts indicates that the composition of the immunoreactive material is similar in the two age-groups investigated. At the thoracic level opiate receptor binding was also measured. Opiate receptor number is increased in the thoracic segments of the spinal cord from older rats. These age-related changes in immunoreactive Met-enkephalin content and opiate receptor number at spinal levels may contribute to determine an altered pain sensitivity during aging.

Changes of beta-endorphin and Met-enkephalin content in the hypothalamus-pituitary axis induced by aging

The amounts of beta-endorphin- and Met-enkephalin-immunoreactive material are higher in the pituitary of aged rats. However, the aging process decreases the content of beta-endorphin-, but does not affect that of Met-enkephalin-immunoreactive material, in hypothalamus. Thus, it seems that the regulatory mechanisms in the two areas are differentially affected by increasing age. On the other hand, the pituitary increase of these peptides is in line with the assumption that in the elderly the hormonal response to stress is impaired.

Endogenous opiates: 1981

This paper is the fourth of an annual series reviewing the research concerning the endogenous opiate peptides. This installment covers only work published during 1981 and attempts to provide a comprehensive, but not exhaustive, survey of the area. Previous papers in the series have dealt with research done before 1981. Topics concerning endogenous opiates reviewed here include a delineation of their receptors, their distribution, their precursors and degradation, behavioral effects resulting from their administration, their possible involvement in physiological responses, and their interactions with other peptides and hormones. Due to the burgeoning literature in this field, the comprehensive nature of this review in the future will be limited to considerations of behavioral phenomena related to the endogenous opiates.

Immunoreactive beta-endorphin in the hypothalamus of female rats: changes in content and release during prepubertal development

Female Wistar rats of different ages (1-45 days) were used. Extracts were made of the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) and beta-endorphin immunoreactivity (beta-ENDi) was quantitated by radioimmunoassay. Low but significant amounts of beta-ENDi (6.5 ng/MBH) were present on the first postnatal day. Hypothalamic beta-ENDi content did not change during the first week but decreased during the second week to a minimum (4.5 ng/MBH) on day 14. Thereafter, beta-ENDi increased rapidly to 13 ng/MBH on day 28 and remained at this level. Gel filtration showed that beta-ENDi substances with chromatographic characteristics identical to those of beta-END and beta-LPH were present in MBHs of 14-, 20- and 45-day-old rats. A beta-ENDi substance, possibly representing beta-END1-27, was nearly absent on day 14, but represented a major component of the MBH of the 45-day-old rat. In vitro incubation of MBH resulted in spontaneous release of beta-ENDi. Depolarization of neuronal membranes by incubation in medium containing 45 mMK+ stimulated beta-ENDi release. Both the spontaneous and K+-stimulated release of beta-ENDi were low on day 10 but reached postpubertal levels on day 20. These observations lead us to propose that the beta-ENDi-containing neurons in the hypothalamus of developing female rats rapidly mature between 14 and 20 days after birth. This may be causally related to the rapid decrease in circulating FSH levels that occurs during this period.

Neuropeptides, mental performance and aging

The presence of peptidergic neuronal networks in the brain and the modulating action of neuropeptides on brain functions as evidenced by their behavioral influence in particular support the concept that the brain like the peripheral endocrine glands is an endocrine target organ which is as sensitive to treatment with neuropeptides as the peripheral glands are to pituitary hormones. Animal and human data are reviewed showing that neuropeptides related to ACTH/MSH affect motivational and attentional processes and that those related to vasopressin are involved in memory processes. Since these functions decline during aging it is postulated that a decreased bioavailability of neuropeptides in brain of elderly people is associated with specific disturbances in mental performance. Thus, the decreased mental ability of the aged may be restored by treatment with neuropeptides particularly those with little, if any, peripheral, endocrine activity, like the ACTH neuropeptide Org 2766 and the vasopressin neuropeptide DGAVP.

The influence of selective adeno- and neurointermedio-hypophysectomy upon plasma and brain levels of beta-endorphin and their response to stress in rats

Selective ablation of the anterior lobe (AL) of the pituitary led to a fall in basal plasma levels of beta-endorphin immunoreactivity (beta-EI) at 3 and 20 weeks post-surgery (p.s.). Further, the stress-evoked rise in circulating levels of beta-EI was abolished. This operation did, however, severely deplete the beta-EI content of the neurointermediate lobe (NIL). Removal of the NIL did not, in contrast, decrease the beta-EI content of the AL but depressed basal plasma levels of beta-EI at 3 weeks p.s. and attenuated, but did not abolish, the increase in these elicited by stress at both 3 and 20 weeks p.s. In rats not possessing a NIL, a secretion of beta-EI into plasma can thus occur. The possibility that NIL pools of beta-EI contribute to circulating levels of beta-EI is discussed. Removal of the AL depressed the beta-EI content of the hypothalamus and periventricular tissue at 3 and 20 weeks p.s. The Met-enkephalin-immunoreactivity (ME-I) content of the hypothalamus was, in contrast, unaffected. These animals still responded to stress at 20 weeks p.s. with a significant fall in hypothalamic levels of beta-EI. Extirpation of the NIL did not, in contrast, change brain levels of either beta-EI or ME-I. The presence of the AL, but not the NIL, is thus essential for the maintenance of usual levels of beta-EI and ME-I in the brain.

Molecular-weight profiles of immunoreactive corticotropin in the hypothalamus of the aging rat

Extracts of the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH), the preoptic anterior hypothalamus (POA), or the pituitary gland of young (4-month-old) and old (18-month-old) female rats were fractionated on columns of Sephadex G-75 superfine. Five forms of immunoreactive corticotropin (ACTHi) were found in the MBH or POA: greater than 40K, 30-40K, 20-30K, 5.7K, and 4.5K. In contrast, 4 forms of ACTHi were found in the pituitary gland: 30-40K, 20-30K, 5.7K, and 4.5K. Thus, hypothalamic tissue contains a large form of ACTH (greater than 40K ACTH) which is not present in the pituitary gland. We tentatively identified greater than 40K ACTH as a large form of pro-opiocortin, 30-40K ACTH as pro-opiocortin, 20-30K ACTH as ACTH biosynthetic intermediate, 5.7K ACTH as glycosylated ACTH 1-39, and 4.5K ACTH as ACTH 1-39. The content of ACTHi in the MBH and POA of old rats was lower than that of young rats. Nevertheless, regardless of the age of the animals, the fractional amount of 30-40K ACTHi was high in the MBH (a region that includes the presumed site of biosynthesis of pro-opiocortin) compared to that in the POA (a region that is distant to the site of biosynthesis of pro-opiocortin). Moreover, the reduced fractional amount of 30-40K ACTHi in the POA was associated with an increased fractional amount of greater than 40K, 20-30K, 5.7K, and 4.5K ACTHi. These findings are consistent with a precursor-product relationship between the 30-40K ACTHi and 20-30K ACTHi, 5.7K ACTHi, and 4.5K ACTHi.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A reduction in the concentration of immunoreactive corticotropin, melanotropin and lipotropin in the brain of the aging rat

We have previously shown that the hypothalamic concentration of immunoreactive alpha-melanotropin (alpha-MSHi) is markedly lower in the aging female rat than in the young rat. The current view is that alpha-MSH is derived from corticotropin (ACTH), and ACTH, in turn, is derived from a large molecular-weight precursor (pro-opiocortin); pro-opiocortin also serves as the precursor to beta- and gamma-lipotropin (LPH). To ascertain if the age-related reduction in the concentration of alpha-MSHi may be a result of a decline in the production of pro-opiocortin, we determined the content of immunoreactive ACTH (ACTHi), alpha-MSH (alpha-MSHi), gamma-LPH (gamma-LPHi), and protein, in 3 regions of the brain of young (4 months) and old (26-28 months) female rats: the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH, the region containing the perikarya of the ACTH/MSH/LPH neurons), the preoptic anterior hypothalamus (POA), and the thalamus (regions containing axons of these neurons). The concentration of ACTHi, alpha-MSHi (mol/mg protein), or gamma-LPHi (U/mg protein) in the MBH of old rats was 30-50% of that in the MBH of young rats. Moreover, the concentration of ACTHi, alpha-MSHi or gamma-LPHi in the POA and thalamus of old rats was also lower than that in the POA and thalamus of young rats. Based on these findings, we propose that aging causes a reduction in the production of pro-opiocortin in the brain of the female rat and that such a change may be related to the altered function of the brain of the aged.

Immunoreactive beta-endorphin in the plasma, pituitary and hypothalamus of young and old male rats

Immunoreactive beta-endorphin (IR-beta-ENDO) was measured in the plasma, pituitary, and hypothalamus of young (3-5 mo.) and old (19-23 mo.) male Sprague-Dawley rats, using a specific radioimmunoassay. Plasma IR-beta-ENDO in old male rats (3.44 +/- 0.54 ng/ml) was more than three times higher than values observed in young male rats (1.00 +/- 0.10 ng/ml). Pituitary content and concentration of IR-beta-ENDO also were significantly greater in the old (5.85 +/- 0.51 microgram/gland and 1.17 +/- 0.10 microgram/mg protein) than in the young (3.53 +/- 0.29 microgram/gland and 0.78 +/- 0.06 microgram/mg protein) male rats. The content of IR-beta-ENDO in the hypothalamus of old and young rats was nearly the same (43.45 +/- 2.47 and 49.88 +/- 6.35 ng/hypothalamus, respectively), whereas the concentration of IR-beta-ENDO in the hypothalamus of the old male rats (3.89 +/- 0.25 ng/mg protein) was approximately 50% lower than that observed in the young male rats (7,80 +/- 0.85 ng/mg protein). These changes in plasma, pituitary, and hypothalamic IR-beta-ENDO may contribute to the increase in prolactin and decrease in gonadotropins observed in old male rats, since beta-ENDO administration is known to produce these effects on prolactin and gonadotropin secretion.