Abstract
The circadian secretion of ACTH and corticosterone was assessed by measuring immunoreactive ACTH concentration in the plasma and ACTH content in the anterior and posterior pituitary over a 30 h period in groups of both male and female rats and comparing these data to fluorometric corticosterone concentration in the plasma and corticosterone content in the adrenal. A circadian rhythm of plasma corticosterone levels and adrenal content was apparent in both males and females with the highest levels at the onset of darkness. In contrast, there was no significant circadian rhythm in plasma ACTH levels or anterior or posterior ACTH pituitary content. Because the ACTH and corticosterone rhythms were dissociated, rhythmic corticosterone secretion is not entirely dependent on ACTH secretion.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Guillemin R., Dear W.E., Liebelt R.A. Nycthemeral variations in plasma free corticosteroid levels of the rat. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 101: 394, 1959.
Krieger G.T., Allen W., Rizzo F., Krieger H.P. Characterization of the normal temporal pattern of plasma corticosteroid levels. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 32: 266, 1971.
Andrews R.V. Circadian rhythms in adrenal organ cultures. Gegenbaurs Morphol. Jahrb. 117: 89, 1971.
Ungar F. In vitro studies of adrenal-pituitary circadian rhythms in the mouse. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 117: 374, 1964.
Chan S.W.C., Phillips J.G. Circadian variation in activity of the duck (Anas platyrhynchos) adrenal gland. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 20: 291, 1973.
Forsham P.H., Di Raimondo V., Island D., Rinfert A.P., Orr R.H. Dynamics of adrenal function in man. Ciba Found. Colloq. Endocrinol. 8: 279, 1954.
Ungar F., Halberg F. Circadian rhythm in the in vitro response of mouse adrenal to adrenocorticotropic hormone. Science 137: 1058, 1962.
Critchlow V., Liebelt R.A., Bar-Sela M., Mountcastle W., Lipscomb H.S. Sex difference in resting pituitary-adrenal function in the rat. Am. J. Physiol. 205: 807, 1963.
Buckingham J.C., Döhler K.D., Wilson C.A. Activity of the pituitary-adrenocortical system and thyroid gland during the oestrous cycle of the rat. J. Endocrinol. 78: 356, 1978.
Kitay J.I. Sex differences in adrenal cortical secretion in the rat. Endocrinology 68: 818, 1961.
Curtis G.C., Fogel M.L., McEvoy D., Zarate C. Effects of weight, sex and diurnal variation on the excretion of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 28: 711, 1968.
Kitay J.I. Pituitary-adrenal function in the rat after gonadectomy and gonadal hormone replacement. Endocrinology 73: 253, 1963.
Fukuda H., Greer M.A., Roberts L., Allen C.F., Critchlow V., Wilson M. Nyctohemeral and sex-related variations in plasma thyrotropin, thyroxine and triiodothyronine. Endocrinology 97: 1424, 1975.
Rees L.H., Cook D.M., Kendall J.W., Allen C.F., Kramer R.M., Ratcliffe J.G., Knight R.A. A radioimmunoassay for rat plasma ACTH. Endocrinology 89: 254, 1971.
Allen J.P., Kendall J.W., McGilvra R., Vancura C. Immunoreactive ACTH in cerebrospinal fluid. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 38: 586, 1974.
Greer M.A., Allen C.F., Panton P., Allen J.P. Evidence that the pars intermedia and pars nervosa of the pituitary do not secrete functionally significant quantities of ACTH. Endocrinology 96: 718, 1975.
Guillemin R., Clayton G.W., Lipscomb H.S., Smith J.D. Fluorometric measurement of rat plasma and adrenal corticosterone concentration. J. Lab. Clin. Med. 53: 830, 1959.
Winer B.J. Statistical principles in experimental design. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1962, P. 101.
Dunn J., Scheving L., Millet P. Circadian variation in stress-evoked increases in plasma corticosterone. Am. J. Physiol. 223: 402, 1972.
Usategui R., Oliver C., Vaudry H., Lombardi G., Rozenberg I., Mourre A.M. Immunoreactive α-MSH and ACTH levels in rat plasma and pituitary. Endocrinology 98: 189, 1976.
Scott A.P., Lowry P.J., Ratcliffe J.G., Rees L.H., Landon J. Corticotrophin-like peptides in the rat pituitary. J. Endocrinol. 61: 355, 1974.
Hiroshige T., Sakakura M. Circadian rhythm of corticotropin-releasing activity in the hypothalamus of normal and adrenalectomized rats. Neuroendocrinology 7: 25, 1971.
Hiroshige T., Abe K., Wada S., Kaneko M. Sex difference in circadian periodicity of CRF activity in the rat hypothalamus. Neuroendocrinology 11: 306, 1973.
Gallagher T.F., Yoshida K., Roffwarg H.D., Fukushima D.K., Weitzman E.D., Hellman L. ACTH and Cortisol secretory patterns in man. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 36: 1058, 1973.
Matsuyama H., Ruhmann-Wennhold A., Nelson D.H. Radioimmunoassay of plasma ACTH in intact rats. Endocrinology 88: 692, 1971.
Allen J.P., Vaughan G.M., Sackman J., Starr P. Dissociation between ACTH and Cortisol secretion in man. Program American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science 145 Annual Meeting, Houston, Texas, P. 115 (312), 1979, (Abstract).
Dallman M.F., Engeland W.C., Shinsako J. Circadian changes in adrenocortical responses to ACTH. Program Endocrine Society 58 Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, P. 58 (4), 1976 (Abstract).
Meier A.H. Daily variation in concentration of plasma corticosteroid in hypohysectomized rats. Endocrinology 98: 1475, 1976.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
A preliminary report of this work has appeared: Program of the 56th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, A-306, 1974.
Supported by grants from the NIAMDD, NIH.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Allen-Rowlands, C.F., Allen, J.P., Greer, M.A. et al. Circadian rhythmicity of ACTH and corticosterone in the rat. J Endocrinol Invest 3, 371–377 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03349373
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03349373