Summary
Newborn male rats were injected with a single dose of dexamethasone on the first day of life. Controls received only the diluent. Two to ten days later the experimental and control animals were sacrificed, and the adrenal medullae were processed for electron microscopy and for histochemical demonstration of catecholamines. Rats that received dexamethasone, as compared to controls showed (1) an earlier appearance of the catecholamine reaction, and (2) a pronounced development of the Golgi complex. These results are further indication that glucocorticoid stimulates the maturation of the chromaffin complex. The Golgi apparatus may play some role in this inductive mechanism.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Axelrod J (1962) Purification and properties of phenylethanolamines-N-methyltransferase. J Biol Chem 237:1657–1660
Axelrod J, Wurtman RJ (1965) Adrenaline synthesis controls by the pituitary gland and adrenal glucocorticoids. Science 150:1464–1465
Blaschko H, Comline RS, Schneider FH, Silver M, Smith AD (1967) Secretion of a chromaffin granule protein, chromogranin, from the adrenal gland after splanchnic stimulation. Nature (Lond) 215:58–59
Coupland RE (1953) On the morphology and adrenaline-noradrenaline content of chromaffin tissue. J Endocrinol 9:194–203
Coupland RE, Weakly BS (1968) Developing chromaffin tissue in the rabbit: an electron microscopic study. J Anat (Lond) 102:425–455
Fuller RW, Hunt JM (1967) Activity of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase in the adrenal glands of foetal and neonatal rats. Nature (London) 214:190
Gewirtz G, Kvetnansky R, Weise VK, Kopin IJ (1971) Effect of hypophysectomy and adrenal dopamine beta-hydroxylase activity in the rat. Mol Pharmacol 7:163–171
Hillarp NA, Höckfelt B (1953) Evidence of adrenaline and noradrenaline in separate adrenal medullary cells. Acta Physiol Scand 30:55–68
Karnovsky My (1965) A formaldehyde-glutaraldehyde fixative of high osmolarity for use in electron microscopy. The American Society for Cell Biology 137A–138A
Luft JH (1961) Improvements in epoxy resin embedding methods. J Biophys Biochem Cytol 9:409–414
Margolis FL, Roffi J, Jost A (1966) Norepinephrine methylation in foetal rat adrenals. Science 154:275–276
Parker LN, Noble EP (1967) Prenatal glucocorticoid administration and the development of the epinephrine-forming enzyme. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 126:734–737
Roffi J (1968) Influence des corticosurrénales sur la synthèse d'adrénaline chez le foetus et le nouveau-né de rat et de lapin. J Physiol (Paris) 60:455–494
Roffi J, Margolis F (1966) Synthèse d'adrénaline dans le tissue chromaffine extra-surrénalien, chez le rat nouveau-né sous l'effet de hydrocortisone ou de la corticostimuline. C R Hebd Séances Acad Sci Paris 263:1496–1499
Smith AD, Winkler H (1972) Fundamental mechanism in the release of catecholamines. In: H. Blaschko, E. Muscholl (Eds) Catecholamines. Springer Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York, Chapter 13
Stjarne L (1972) The synthesis, uptake and storage of catecholamines in the adrenal medulla. The effect of drugs. In: H. Blaschko, E. Muscholl (Eds) Catecholamines. Springer Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York, Chapter 7, pp 249–251
Tramezzani JH, Chiocchio S, Wassermann GF (1964) A technique for light and electron microscopic identification of adrenalin-and noradrenalin-storing cells. J Histochem Cytochem 12:890–899
Viveros OH, Arqueros L, Connet RJ, Kirshner W (1969) Mechanism of secretion from the adrenal medulla. 4. The fate and the storage vesicles following insulin and reserpine administration. Mol Pharmacol 5:69–82
Wurtman RJ, Axelrod J (1965) Adrenaline synthesis: Control by the pituitary gland and adrenal glucocorticoids. Science 150:1464–1465
Wurtman RJ, Axelrod J (1966) Control of enzymatic synthesis of adrenaline in the adrenal medulla by adrenal cortical steroids. J Biol Chem 241:2301–2305
Wurtman RJ, Pohorecky LA, Baliga BS (1972) Adrenocortical control of the biosynthesis of epinephrine and proteins in the adrenal medulla. Pharmacological Reviews 24:411–426
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported by grants from “Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas” Argentina, and “Comisión Asesora de Promotión a la Investigatión”, Universidad National de Cuyo, Argentina. We are grateful to Teresa H. Fogal Sarmiento for her technical collaboration
Scientist of “Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Técnicas”, Argentina
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Piezzi, R.S., Miranda, J.C. Effect of dexamethasone on the neonatal adrenal medulla. Cell Tissue Res. 220, 213–217 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00209979
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00209979