Role of the Central Adrenergic System in the Regulation of Prostaglandin Biosynthesis in Rat Brain

J. Weidenfeld*, K. Kahbha, A. Reches, E. Shohami

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Abstract: The role of endogenous catecholamines in the regulation of brain prostaglandin (PG) synthesis was studied in the rat. Male rats were injected in the brain lateral ventricle or in the ventral noradrenergic bundle with either the cate‐cholaminergic neurotoxin 6‐hydroxydopamine or vehicle. Other groups of rats were injected intraperitoneally with the tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor, α‐methyl‐p‐tyrosine, or with the inhibitor of dopamine‐β‐hydroxylase, FLA‐63. All these drugs produced a significant depletion of norepinephrine (NE) content in the cortex and hypothalamus. The rats that had lower levels of NE exhibited reduced capacity to synthesize PGE2 but not thromboxane B2 and 6‐keto‐PGE in the cortex and hypothalamus. However, induced production of PG, stimulated by the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS), remained unchanged, namely, a similar (2‐ to 2.5‐fold) increase of PG synthesis was noted in control and in NE‐depleted rats. We suggest that the regulation of PG synthesis under basal condition requires intact adrenergic input, whereas LPS‐induced production of PG is independent of the adrenergic innervation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)694-699
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Neurochemistry
Volume58
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1992

Keywords

  • 6‐Hydroxydopamine
  • Brain
  • Catecholamines
  • Prostaglandins

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