Peptidergic modulation of serotonin release from cultured rat pinealocytes

This paper describes the effects of beta-adrenergic and peptidergic inputs on serotonin (5-HT) synthesis, outflow and metabolism into melatonin in cultured dissociated rat pinealocytes. The spontaneous outflow of 5-HT from pinealocytes was high as demonstrated by the elevated levels of extracellular 5-HT accumulated in the medium (about 5 ng/h/70,000 pineal cells). The beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol (ISO) used at concentrations up to 10(-6) M induced a moderate (+20-40%) increase in intra- and extracellular 5-HT levels together with a large release of melatonin. At a higher ISO stimulation (10(-5) M), the intra- and extracellular levels of 5-HT were significantly (-25-30%) reduced whereas melatonin secretion was dramatically increased. This is interpreted as a large 5-HT mobilization for melatonin synthesis and release, consequently reducing both the intracellular pool and outflow of 5-HT. The peptides vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) up to 10(-7) M induced always a moderate (+20-30%) increase in intra- and extracellular levels of 5-HT. However, the use of nM concentrations of VIP or PACAP together with 10(-6) M ISO induced a decrease in 5-HT outflow (-25-30%) and a dramatic increase in melatonin secretion as did 10(-5) M ISO alone. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is another pineal peptide which induced a stimulation of 5-HT outflow (+30-40%) although its effect on melatonin release was marginal. The above results are discussed in term of the multineuronal regulation of the synthetic and secretory activities of the rat pineal gland.