1. Recently, 2 novel neuropeptides were discovered, both derived from the same precursor by proteolytic processing, which bind and activate 2 closely related orphan G protein-coupled receptors, Named orexin-A and -B (Sakurai et al., 1998). Both stimulate food intake when administered centrally to rats. 2. Our aim was to elucidate whether central injection of mammalian orexin-A or -B stimulates food intake in the chick. 3. Under conditions of free access to food, orexin-A did not alter the food intake of chicks, but cumulative food intake was significantly suppressed by orexin-B. 4. The orexin-B was then administered to chicks deprived of food for 3 h to confirm its suppressive effect. No significant effect of orexin-B on food intake was detected. 5. Central injection of orexin-B did not modify food intake when appetite was stimulated by fasting. 6. Neither of these orexins appears to stimulate feeding in chicks.

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11 beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-HSD) catalyses the interconversion of biologically active cortisol to inactive cortisone in man, and corticosterone to 11-dehydrocorticosterone in rodents. As such, this enzyme has been shown to confer aldosterone-selectivity on the mineralocorticoid receptor and to modulate cortisol/corticosterone access to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Two kinetically distinct isoforms of this enzyme have been characterized in both rodents and man; a low-affinity NADP(H)-dependent enzyme (11 beta-HSD1) which predominantly acts as an oxoreductase and, more recently, a high-affinity NAD-dependent uni-directional dehydrogenase (11 beta-HSD2). In this study we have analysed the expression of both 11 beta-HSD1 and 11 beta-HSD2 isoforms in rat adrenal cortex and medulla and have investigated their possible roles with respect to glucocorticoid-regulated enzymes mediating catecholamine biosynthesis in adrenal medullary chromaffin cells. Using a rat 11 beta-HSD1 probe and a recently cloned in-house mouse 11 beta-HSD2 cDNA probe, Northern blot analyses revealed expression of mRNA species encoding both 11 beta-HSD1 (1.4 kb) and 11 beta-HSD2 (1.9 kb) in the whole adrenal. Consistent with this, 11 beta-dehydrogenase activity (pmol 11-dehydrocorticosterone formed/mg protein per h, mean +/- S.E.M.) in adrenal homogenates, when incubated with 50 nM corticosterone in the presence of 200 microM NAD, was 97.0 +/- 9.0 and with 500 nM corticosterone in the presence of 200 microM NADP, was 98.0 +/- 1.4. 11-Oxoreductase activity (pmol corticosterone formed/mg protein per h) with 500 nM 11-dehydrocorticosterone in the presence of 200 microM NADPH, was 187.7 +/- 31.2. In situ hybridization studies of rat adrenal cortex and medulla using 35 S-labelled antisense 11 beta-HSD1 cRNA probe revealed specific localization of 11 beta-HSD1 mRNA expression predominantly to cells at the corticomedullary junction, most likely within the inner cortex. In contrast, 11 beta-HSD2 mRNA was more abundant in cortex versus medulla, and was more uniformly distributed over the adrenal gland. Negligible staining was detected using control sense probes. Ingestion of the 11 beta-HSD inhibitor, glycyrrhizic acid (> 100 mg/kg body weight per day for 4 days) resulted in significant inhibition of adrenal NADP-dependent (98.0 +/- 1.4 vs 42.5 +/- 0.4) and NAD-dependent (97.0 +/- 9.0 vs 73.2 +/- 6.7) 11 beta-dehydrogenase activity and 11-oxoreductase activity (187.7 +/- 31.2 vs 67.7 +/- 15.3). However, while levels of 11 beta-HSD1 mRNA were similarly reduced (0.85 +/- 0.07 vs 0.50 +/- 0.05 arbitrary units), those for 11 beta-HSD2 remained unchanged (0.44 +/- 0.03 vs 0.38 +/- 0.01). Levels of mRNA encoding the glucocorticoid-dependent enzyme phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase which catalyses the conversion of noradrenaline to adrenaline, were also significantly reduced in those rats given glycyrrhizic acid (1.12 +/- 0.04 vs 0.78 +/- 0.04), while those for the glucocorticoid-independent enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (1.9 kb), which cat...

One of the defining biochemical features of Cushing's disease is a relative insensitivity to glucocorticoid (GC) feedback, but an analysis of the GC receptor has failed to detect any major abnormalities. However, two isoenzymes of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta HSD), either by converting cortisone (E) to cortisol (F) (type 1) or conversely by converting F to E (type 2), play an important prereceptor role in regulating corticosteroid hormone action at several sites. 11 beta HSD1 and -2 expression within the anterior pituitary gland itself may modulate GC feedback at an autocrine level, and we have speculated that this may be deranged in Cushing's disease. Detection of 11 beta HSD type 1 and 2 immunoreactive protein was performed using fluorescence immunohistochemistry. Double immunofluorescent studies were undertaken on normal pituitary to define the cellular localization of 11 beta HSD isoenzymes using antisera against GH, ACTH, LH, FSH, PRL, and S100, a nonhormonal marker of folliculo-stellate cells. In normal pituitary, positive staining for 11 beta HSD1-immunoreactive protein was observed in GH- and PRL-secreting cells and in folliculo-stellate cells; gonadotrophs, thyrotrophs, and ACTH-positive cells were negative. 11 beta HSD2 immunoreactivity was absent in all cell types. RT-PCR detected 11 beta HSD1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression in the normal pituitary; 11 beta HSD2 mRNA expression was also seen in most normal tissue. By contrast, in ACTH-secreting adenomas 11 beta HSD2 immunostaining was strongly positive in every case of corticotroph adenoma. 11 beta HSD1 immunoreactivity was also observed occasionally, but to a much lesser extent. In other pituitary tumors, both functional and nonfunctional, 11 beta HSD expression was variable in terms of isoenzyme mRNA and intensity of protein staining. The expression of 11 beta HSD1 (which generates F from E) in somatotrophs and lactotrophs suggests an autocrine role for this isoenzyme in the glucocorticoid regulation of pituitary GH and PRL secretion. 11 beta HSD2 expression is markedly induced in ACTH-secreting pituitary tumors and, by converting F to E, may explain the resetting of glucocorticoid feedback control in Cushing's disease.

Abstract. The relation between the incidence of methimazole (methylmercaptoimidazole; MMI)-induced agranulocytosis and initial MMI dose was evaluated in a group of 514 patients with Graves' disease who were treated between 1995 and 2005. One hundred and forty-six (28.40%) patients had received an initial dose of 30 mg MMI and 277 (53.89%) patients had been treated with 15 mg MMI. Nine patients (1.75%) developed agranulocytosis due to MMI treatment. Six (4.11%) of 146 patients who received an initial dose of 30 mg MMI, two (4.54%) of 44 patients given an initial dose of 20 mg MMI, and one (0.36%) of 277 patients given an initial dose of 15 mg MMI developed agranulocytosis. There was a statistically significant difference in agranulocytosis incidence between patients receiving an initial dose of 30 mg MMI and those who received an initial dose of 15 mg. Although 8 (4.10%) of 195 patients in the high-dose group (20 mg or higher) developed agranulocytosis, only 1 (0.31%) of 319 patients in the low-dose group (15 mg or lower) did. In conclusion, the incidence of agranulocytosis with low-dose MMI therapy was ten times lower than that of the high-dose regimen.