Endothelin is an autocrine regulator of prolactin secretion

Drug-induced hypo- and hyperprolactinemia: mechanisms, clinical and therapeutic consequences

INTRODUCTION

The altered profiles of prolactin secretion in the anterior hypophysis, generated by pathological, pharmacological or toxicological causes, have special consequences on multiple functions in both genders.

AREAS COVERED

This selective review presents the main mechanisms controlling prolactin secretion, focusing on the interplay of various neurotransmitters or xenobiotics, but also on the role of psychic or posttraumatic stress. A detailed analysis of several pharmacotherapeutic groups with hyperprolactinemic effects emphasize on the relevance of the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic mechanisms and the clinical significance of the long term administration.

EXPERT OPINION

Accurate monitoring and evaluation of the hyperprolactinemia induced by xenobiotics is strongly recommended. The typical antipsychotics and some of the atypical agents (amisulpride, risperidone, paliperidone), as well as some antidepressants, antihypertensives and prokinetics, are the most important groups inducing hyperprolactinemia. The hyperprolactinemic effects are correlated with their affinity for dopamine D2 receptors, their blood-brain barrier penetration and, implicitly, the requested dose for adequate occupancy of cerebral D2 receptors. Consequently, integration of available pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data supports the idea of therapeutic switch to non-hyperprolactinemic agents (especially aripiprazole) or their association, for an optimal management of antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia. Possible alternative strategies for counteracting the xenobiotics-induced hyperprolactinemia are also mentioned.

Identification of a novel role for endothelins within the oviduct

Endothelins were first identified as potent vasoactive peptides; however, diversity in the biological function of these hormones is now evident. We have identified a novel role for endothelins: a requirement for these peptides within the oviduct during fertilization and/or early embryo development. In vivo, treatment after ovulation with a dual endothelin receptor antagonist (tezosentan) decreased the number of two-cell embryos that could be collected from within the oviducts. In vitro fertilization experiments showed that gamete viability and their ability to fertilize were not affected by treatment with this antagonist, suggesting that the effect observed in vivo was mediated by the oviduct itself. Expression of mRNA for all three isoforms of the endothelins and both receptor subtypes was detectable within the oviduct. Expression of mRNA for endothelin-3 was regulated by gonadotropins in epithelial cells of the oviduct and increased specifically within the isthmus of this structure. Immunostaining revealed localization of both endothelin receptors A and B to the columnar epithelial cells within the oviduct, suggestive of a local role for endothelins in the regulation of epithelial function and ultimately oviductal secretions. A microarray analysis revealed three likely endothelin-regulated protein networks for future analysis: the TGFbeta, IL-10, and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein superfamilies. Overall, these results suggest a novel and requisite role for endothelins within the oviduct during fertilization and/or early embryo development.

Endothelin-3 and PRL levels in the maternal and fetal circulation at delivery

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to test the hypothesis that endothelin-3 (ET-3) is involved in PRL secretion via systemic hormonal interaction during labor.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty healthy pregnant women with singleton pregnancies were included in the present study. At delivery, blood samples were drawn from umbilical vein and artery. At the same time, a blood sample was obtained from a peripheral vein of the mother. In all blood samples, plasma ET-3 and serum PRL concentrations were determined. The main outcome measures were the differences between maternal peripheral blood, umbilical artery and vein in terms of ET-3 and PRL levels, and the associations between ET-3 and PRL levels.

RESULTS

ET-3 values (mean+/-SEM) in umbilical artery did not differ significantly from those in umbilical vein (4.94+/-0.27 vs 5.05+/-0.32 pg/ml) but were in both vessels significantly higher than in maternal vein (1.14+/-0.56 pg/ml, p<0.001). Serum PRL values showed similar patterns. There was a significant positive correlation of the ET-3 levels between umbilical artery and vein (r=0.906, p<0.001), but not between maternal peripheral venous blood and the umbilical vessels. Similar correlations were found for PRL values. However, no significant correlations were found between ET-3 and PRL levels in all vessels studied.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study demonstrates for the first time that ET-3 levels are higher in fetal than in maternal circulation at term. The lack of correlation between ET-3 and PRL levels suggests that ET-3 does not play an important endocrine role in the control of maternal and fetal PRL secretion during labor.

Synergistic activation of salmon cardiac function by endothelin and beta-adrenergic stimulation

The aim was to find out the effects of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in salmon (Salmo salar) cardiac contractile and endocrine function and its possible interaction with beta-adrenergic regulation. We found that ET-1 has a positive inotropic effect in salmon heart. ET-1 (30 nM) increased the contraction amplitude 17+/-4.7% compared with the basal level. beta-Adrenergic activation (isoprenaline, 100 nM) increased contraction amplitude 30+/-13.1%, but it did not affect the contractile response to ET-1. ET-1 (10 nM) stimulated the secretion of salmon cardiac natriuretic peptide (sCP) from isolated salmon ventricle (3.3+/-0.14-fold compared with control) but did not have any effect on ventricular sCP mRNA. Isoprenaline alone (0.1-1,000 nM) did not stimulate sCP release, but ET-1 (10 nM) together with isoprenaline (0.1 nM) caused a significantly greater increase of sCP release than ET-1 alone (5.4+/-0.07 vs. 3.3+/-0.14 times increase compared with control). The effects on the contractile and secretory function could be inhibited by a selective ETA-receptor antagonist BQ-610 (1 microM), whereas ETB-receptor blockage (by 100 nM BQ-788) enhanced the secretory response. Thus ET-1 is a phylogenetically conserved regulator of cardiac function, which has synergistic action with beta-adrenergic stimulation. The modulatory effects of ET-1 may therefore be especially important in situations with high beta-adrenergic tone.

Endothelin action on pituitary lactotrophs: one receptor, many GTP-binding proteins

The endothelins are a family of hormones that have a biphasic action on pituitary lactotrophs. The initial effect is stimulatory, followed later by inhibition that persists long after the agonist has been removed. Recent research has uncovered several G protein pathways that mediate these effects.

Autocrine regulation of prolactin secretion by endothelins throughout the estrous cycle

We have previously found that the ovarian steroid background determines the efficiency of the endothelin-mediated autocrine feedback regulation of prolactin (PRL) secretion. In this study, we investigated the role of endogenous endothelins in regulating PRL secretion during the estrous cycle. Adult female rats representing different stages of the 4-d cycle were sacrificed by decapitation, and the anterior pituitary cells were enzymatically dispersed using collagenase and hyaluronidase. PRL secretion of individual lactotrophs was measured in a PRL-specific reverse hemolytic plaque assay, and the influence of endogenous endothelins on PRL secretion was assessed by applying the selective ET(A) receptor antagonist peptide, BQ123. Blocking the endothelin-mediated autocrine feedback resulted in an increase in PRL secretion when cells were obtained at proestrus, estrus, and diestrus-1, whereas PRL secretion was decreased at diestrus-2 by ET(A) receptor blockade. These observations suggest that endogenous endothelins are predominantly inhibitory during proestrus, estrus, and diestrus-1, whereas at diestrus-2 their influence on PRL secretion is stimulatory. Whereas the bell-shaped concentration-response curves with BQ123 at proestrus and diestrus-1 may indicate a transition state in which endogenous endothelins can be both stimulatory and inhibitory, at estrus the influence of endogenous endothelins is unequivocally inhibitory in nature. We propose that intensification of the endogenous endothelin- mediated negative feedback at estrus may play a role in restraining PRL secretion following the estradiol- induced proestrous PRL surge.

Heterodimerization of endothelin-converting enzyme-1 isoforms regulates the subcellular distribution of this metalloprotease

Endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE) is a membrane metalloprotease that generates endothelin from its direct precursor big endothelin. Four isoforms of ECE-1 are produced from a single gene through the use of alternate promoters. These isoforms share the same extracellular catalytic domain and contain unique cytosolic tails, which results in their specific subcellular targeting. We investigated the distribution of ECE-1 isoforms in transfected AtT-20 neuroendocrine cells. Whereas ECE-1a and 1c were present at the plasma membrane, ECE-1b and ECE-1d were retained inside the cells. We found that both intracellular isoforms were concentrated in the endosomal system: ECE-1d in recycling endosomes, and ECE-1b in late endosomes/multivesicular bodies. Leucine-based motifs were involved in the intracellular retention of these isoforms, and the targeting of ECE-1b to the degradation pathway required an additional signal in the N terminus. The concentration of ECE-1 isoforms in the endosomal system suggested new functions for these enzymes. Potential novel functions include redistribution of other isoforms through direct interaction. We have showed that ECE-1 isoforms could heterodimerize, and that in such heterodimers the ECE-1b targeting signal was dominant. Interaction of a plasma membrane isoform with ECE-1b resulted in its intracellular localization and decreased its extracellular activity. These data demonstrated that the targeting signals specific for ECE-1b constitute a regulatory domain per se that could modulate the localization and the activity of other isoforms.

Differential involvement of protein kinase C in basal versus acetylcholine-regulated prolactin secretion in rat anterior pituitary cells during aging

Although it is well known that plasma concentration of prolactin (PRL) increases during aging in rats, how the anterior pituitary (AP) aging per se affects PRL secretion remains obscure. The objectives of this study were to determine if changes in the pituitary PRL responsiveness to acetylcholine (ACh; a paracrine factor in the AP), as compared with that to other PRL stimulators or inhibitors, contribute to the known age-related increase in PRL secretion, and if protein kinase C (PKC) is involved. We also determined if replenishment with aging-declined hormones such as estrogen/thyroid hormone influences the aging-caused effects on pituitary PRL responses. AP cells were prepared from old (23-24-month-old) as well as young (2-3-month-old) ovariectomized rats. Cells were pretreated for 5 days with diluent or 17beta-estradiol (E(2); 0.6 nM) in combination with or without triiodothyronine (T(3); 10 nM). Then, cells were incubated for 20 min with thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH; 100 nM), angiotensin II (AII; 0.2-20 nM), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP; 10(-9)-10(-5) M), dopamine (DA; 10(-9)-10(-5) M), or ACh (10(-7)-10(-3) M). Cells were also challenged with ACh, TRH, or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA; 10(-6) M) following PKC depletion by prolonged PMA (10(-6) M for 24 h) pretreatment. We found that estrogen priming of AP cells could reverse the aging-caused effects on pituitary PRL responses to AII and DA. In hormone-replenished cells aging enhanced the stimulation of PRL secretion by TRH and PMA, but not by AII and VIP. Aging also reduced the responsiveness of cells to ACh and DA in suppressing basal PRL secretion, and attenuated ACh inhibition of TRH-induced PRL secretion. Furthermore, ACh suppressed TRH-induced PRL secretion mainly via the PMA-sensitive PKC in the old AP cells, but via additional mechanisms in young AP cells. On the contrary, basal PRL secretion was PKC (PMA-sensitive)-independent in the old AP cells, but dependent in the young AP cells. Taken together, these results suggest differential roles of PMA-sensitive PKC in regulating basal and ACh-regulated PRL responses in old versus young AP cells. The persistent aging-induced differences in AP cell responsiveness to ACh, DA, TRH, and PMA following hormone (E(2)/T(3)) replenishment suggest an intrinsic pituitary change that may contribute, in part, to the elevated in vivo PRL secretion observed in aged rats.

Prolactin: structure, function, and regulation of secretion

Prolactin is a protein hormone of the anterior pituitary gland that was originally named for its ability to promote lactation in response to the suckling stimulus of hungry young mammals. We now know that prolactin is not as simple as originally described. Indeed, chemically, prolactin appears in a multiplicity of posttranslational forms ranging from size variants to chemical modifications such as phosphorylation or glycosylation. It is not only synthesized in the pituitary gland, as originally described, but also within the central nervous system, the immune system, the uterus and its associated tissues of conception, and even the mammary gland itself. Moreover, its biological actions are not limited solely to reproduction because it has been shown to control a variety of behaviors and even play a role in homeostasis. Prolactin-releasing stimuli not only include the nursing stimulus, but light, audition, olfaction, and stress can serve a stimulatory role. Finally, although it is well known that dopamine of hypothalamic origin provides inhibitory control over the secretion of prolactin, other factors within the brain, pituitary gland, and peripheral organs have been shown to inhibit or stimulate prolactin secretion as well. It is the purpose of this review to provide a comprehensive survey of our current understanding of prolactin's function and its regulation and to expose some of the controversies still existing.

Intercellular communication in the anterior pituitary

In addition to hypothalamic and feedback inputs, the secretory cells of the anterior pituitary are influenced by the activity of factors secreted within the gland. The list of putative intrapituitary factors has been expanding steadily over the past decade, although until recently much of the work was limited to descriptions of potential interactions. This took the form of evidence of production within the pituitary of factors already known to influence activity of secretory cells, or further descriptions of actions on pituitary cells by such factors when added exogenously. A new phase of discovery has been entered, with extensive efforts being made to delineate the control of the synthesis and secretion of the pituitary factors within the gland, regulation of the receptors and response mechanisms for the factors in pituitary cells, and measurements of the endogenous actions of the factors through the use of specific immunoneutralization, receptor blockade, tissue from transgenic animals, and other means. Taken together, these findings are producing blueprints of the intrapituitary interactions that influence each of the individual types of secretory cells, leading toward an understanding of the physiological significance of the interactions. The purpose of this article is to review the recent literature on many of the factors acting as intrapituitary signals and to present such finding in the context of the physiology of the secretory cells.

Gene expression profiling in the human hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and full-length cDNA cloning

The primary neuroendocrine interface, hypothalamus and pituitary, together with adrenals, constitute the major axis responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis and the response to the perturbations in the environment. The gene expression profiling in the human hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis was catalogued by generating a large amount of expressed sequence tags (ESTs), followed by bioinformatics analysis (http://www.chgc.sh.cn/ database). Totally, 25,973 sequences of good quality were obtained from 31,130 clones (83.4%) from cDNA libraries of the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands. After eliminating 5,347 sequences corresponding to repetitive elements and mtDNA, 20,626 ESTs could be assembled into 9, 175 clusters (3,979, 3,074, and 4,116 clusters in hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands, respectively) when overlapping ESTs were integrated. Of these clusters, 2,777 (30.3%) corresponded to known genes, 4,165 (44.8%) to dbESTs, and 2,233 (24.3%) to novel ESTs. The gene expression profiles reflected well the functional characteristics of the three levels in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, because most of the 20 genes with highest expression showed statistical difference in terms of tissue distribution, including a group of tissue-specific functional markers. Meanwhile, some findings were made with regard to the physiology of the axis, and 200 full-length cDNAs of novel genes were cloned and sequenced. All of these data may contribute to the understanding of the neuroendocrine regulation of human life.

Immunoneutralization of prolactin prevents stimulatory feedback of prolactin on hypothalamic neuroendocrine dopaminergic neurons

We have found that exogenous prolactin (PRL) stimulates all three populations of hypothalamic neuroendocrine dopaminergic neurons. In this study, we investigated the effects of immunoneutralization of endogenous PRL on the activity of these neurons. Injection of 17beta-estradiol (E2) (20 microg subcutaneously) 10 d after ovariectomy induced a proestrus-like increase in PRL in peripheral plasma the following afternoon. At 1000 h the day after E2 injection, rats received either rabbit antirat PRL antiserum (PRL-AS) (200 microL) or normal rabbit serum (NRS, 200 microL, controls) intraperitoneally. Groups of rats were then decapitated every 2 h from 1100 h to 2100 h. Trunk blood was collected and serum extracted with protein A to remove the PRL-AS/PRL complex, and the remaining free PRL was measured by radioimmunoassay. Sites of neuroendocrine dopaminergic nerve terminals, the median eminence (ME), and intermediate and neural lobes of the pituitary gland were excised and stored for determination of dopamine (DA) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid (DOPAC) concentrations by high-performance liquid chromatography electrochemical detection (EC). In addition, the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, the locus of DA action, was collected. The concentration of PRL in NRS-treated animals increased by 1500 h, peaked by 1700 h, and returned to low levels by 2100 h. PRL-AS prevented the increase in PRL secretion in response to E2. The turnover of DA (DOPAC:DA ratio; an index of dopaminergic neuronal activity) in the ME of NRS-treated animals increased at 1500 h and rapidly returned to basal levels. Treatment with PRL-AS prevented the increase in DA turnover in the ME. DA turnover in the intermediate lobe increased coincident with the peak of PRL in serum of NRS-treated rats. PRL-AS administration prevented increased DA turnover in the intermediate lobe. The turnover of DA in the neural lobe increased by 1300 h and decreased steadily through 2100 h. However, administration of PRL-AS minimally suppressed the turnover of DA in the neural lobe. Moreover, administration of PRL-AS attenuated the rise of DA in the anterior lobe associated with the waning phase of the E2-induced PRL surge. These results clearly indicate that endogenous PRL regulates its own secretion by activating hypothalamic neuroendocrine dopaminergic neurons.

Estrogen in the etiopathogenesis of BPH

BACKGROUND

While the androgen-dependence of the prostate gland has long been accepted, the participation of estrogen, mediated via the stroma in the elicitation of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), has only recently been recognized. Its mode of action is still uncertain.

METHODS

This review first outlines the regulation of gene expression via hormones, growth factors, and other ligands in the coordination of cell growth, differentiation, and function. Focus is next directed to factors particularly involved in phosphorylation of estrogen receptors. Then, the access of sex steroids, especially of estrogen to the cell and to the transduction machinery, is described, preparatory to examining the hypotheses by which this access causes the process of BPH to occur.

RESULTS

It becomes clear that the necessary phosphorylative activities which transmit signals to nuclear receptors and thence transcription of target genes can be performed by steroids or mimicked by proxy molecules and by cross-talk between discrete pathways. The character and concentration of the available estrogen are determined by the extent of its biosynthesis, its penetration of the cell, and its subsequent metabolism. In addition, the estrogen affects its own access through stimulation of facilitating peptide hormones, prolactin, and sex hormone-binding globulin. Finally, the induction of BPH is shown to be determined by the androgen/estrogen ratio and the change in stromal/epithelial balance accompanying aging.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite a growing knowledge of hormone levels, metabolism, and activities in the prostate, and the variety of processes and factors they affect, our explanation of BPH is still fanciful.