Interactions between CRF, epinephrine, vasopressin and glucocorticoids in the control of ACTH secretion

The secretion of ACTH by corticotrophs in the anterior lobe of the rat pituitary gland is under the stimulatory influence of at least three receptors, namely that for peptidic CRF (corticotropin-releasing factor), vasopressin and alpha 1-adrenergic agents. CRF is a potent stimulator of cyclic AMP accumulation as well as adenylate cyclase activity in the rat adenohypophysis, thus suggesting an important role of cyclic AMP as mediator of CRF action on ACTH secretion. Vasopressin causes a 2-fold increase of the stimulatory effect of CRF on ACTH release in rat anterior pituitary cells in culture. The potentiating effects of vasopressin on CRF-induced ACTH release are accompanied by parallel changes of intracellular cyclic AMP levels. Vasopressin, while having no effect on basal cyclic AMP levels, causes a 2-fold increase in CRF-induced cyclic AMP accumulation without affecting the ED50 value of CRF action. ACTH secretion is also stimulated by a typical alpha 1-adrenergic receptor. Epinephrine causes a marked stimulation of ACTH release which is additive to that of CRF. Epinephrine, in analogy with vasopressin, although having no effect alone on basal cyclic AMP levels, causes a marked potentiation of CRF-induced cyclic AMP accumulation. Glucocorticoids cause a near-complete inhibition of epinephrine-induced ACTH secretion within 4 h with the following order of ED50 values: triamcinolone acetonide (0.2 nM) greater than dexamethasone (1.0 nM) much greater than cortisol (11 nM) greater than corticosterone (22 nM). Similar effects are observed for CRF- and vasopressin-induced ACTH release. Although the activity of the pituitary-adrenocortical axis in the rat is highly dependent upon sex steroids, 17 beta-estradiol, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone and the pure progestin R5020 have no detectable effect on basal or epinephrine-induced ACTH release, thus illustrating the high degree of specificity of glucocorticoids in their feedback control of ACTH secretion. Moreover, glucocorticoids have no effect on CRF-induced cyclic AMP accumulation, thus indicating that their inhibitory effect is exerted at a step following cyclic AMP accumulation.