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Abstract
There is now considerable evidence that nitric oxide (NO) is an important neuroregulatory
agent, but there has been very little investigation of the possible role of NO in
neuroendocrine mechanisms. We have previously shown that acute rat hypothalamic explants
can be used to study the regulation of hypothalamic neuropeptide release, and we have
now utilised this experimental approach to investigate the putative involvement of
NO in the control of the principal corticotropin-releasing hormone, CRH. We studied
the direct effects of the NO precursor L-arginine (L-ARG), as well as the NO donors
molsidomine and sodium nitroprusside, on both the basal and stimulated release of
CRH; the stimuli used were non-specific depolarisation with potassium chloride (KCl)
and the specific cytokine, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta; 100 U/ml). L-ARG was tested
in each experimental condition with and without contemporaneous addition of its competitive
antagonist NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). IL-1 beta-induced CRH release was also
investigated in the presence of D-arginine (D-ARG), which is not active as a precursor
to NO, and ferrous hemoglobin (Hb), a substance which is a potent inactivator of NO.
None of the NO precursors (L-ARG, molsidomine, sodium nitroprusside) or antagonists
(L-NMMA or Hb) was able to affect basal CRH release. However, L-ARG 10 and 100 microM
were found to significantly inhibit the release of CRH induced by 40 mM KCl; CRH fell
to 45% of its stimulated level at the higher dose of L-ARG. This effect was attenuated
in the presence of L-NMMA at a ten-fold higher dose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)