Apoptosis is involved in the anti-proliferative effect of corticosteroid in non-tumoral ACTH pituitary cells

• M.C. Montero ^[1] ; R. Vazquez ^[1] ; Manuel Rubio Sánchez ^[1] ; Enrique J. Blanco Barco ^[1] ; José M. Riesco ^[1] ; J.J. Herrero ^[1] ; G. Vazquez ^[1] ; R. Gonzalez ^[1] ; M. Carretero ^[1] ; M. Basco ^[1] ; José Carretero González
  1. [1] Universidad de Salamanca

     Universidad de Salamanca

     Salamanca, España

     
• Localización: European Journal of anatomy, ISSN-e 1136-4890, Vol. 10, Nº. 3, 2006, págs. 143-149
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Glucocorticoids are the physiological negative feedback on ACTH secretion and may be involved in regulating the maintenance of the population of hypophyseal ACTH-cells, because following surgical ablation, adrenalectomy induces an increase in the number of these cells in the early stages. Glucocorticoids have been implicated in the induction of apoptosis in several tissues; but they have been little considered as hormonal inducers of apoptosis in the pituitary gland. By means of a double immunohistochemical study for PCNA and ACTH and a double assay by ISEL and immunohistochemistry for ACTH, the aim of the present study was to analyse whether corticosterone induces apoptosis and inhibits cellular proliferation to control non-tumoral ACTH-cells in the pituitary gland. For this purpose untreated, sham-operated and adrenalectomized rats, treated or not with corticosterone, were compared. The results of the present study demonstrate a very important decrease in proliferation and an increase in apoptosis of pituitary ACTH-positive cells induced by corticosterone, suggesting that the number of pituitary ACTH-producing cells is mainly controlled by glucocorticoids by means of cellular proliferation and apoptosis.