Comparison of the effects of endothelin-1 and -3 on secretion of pituitary hormones in healthy male volunteers

Summary:

The investigation was conducted to study the effects of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and endothelin-3 (ET-3) on adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), cortisol and prolactin release in man. The design was a prospective placebo controlled double-blind study, including 7 healthy males studied on three occasions. After infusion of either 20 ng/min×kg ET-1, ET-3 or normal saline, venous blood samples were drawn 12 times for determination of ACTH, cortisol and prolactin during the pre- within- and postinfusion period.

ET-1 infusion induced a significant increase of plasma ACTH (p < 0.009) and prolactin (p < 0.0001) whereas cortisol levels increased without reaching significance (p < 0.074). Infusion of ET-3 induced no changes in plasma levels of ACTH, cortisol or prolactin. The parallel increase of ACTH and prolactin induced by infusion of ET-1 could indicate an involvement of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in mediating the ET-1 effect on the HPA-axis in man. Whether this supports a possible role of ET-1 as a modulator of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis remains to be clarified.

Key words:

Endothelin - ET-1 - ET-3 - HPA-axis - Cortisol - ACTH - Prolactin

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