Yoshiharu Kobayashi

Comparison of serum cortisol concentrations in preterm infants with or without late-onset circulatory collapse due to adrenal insufficiency of prematurity.

A recent survey found that approximately 4% of very low birth weight infants in Japan were treated with glucocorticoids postnatally for circulatory collapse thought to be caused by late-onset adrenal insufficiency. We identified 11 preterm infants with clinical signs compatible with this diagnosis (hypotension, oliguria, hyponatremia, lung edema, and increased demand for oxygen treatment) and matched them for gestational age with 11 infants without such signs. Blood samples were obtained for cortisol and its precursors from the patient group before the administration of hydrocortisone, and from the control group during the same postnatal week. All samples were analyzed using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system. Cortisol concentrations did not differ between the two groups (6.6 ± 4.5 vs 3.4 ± 2.7 μg/dL); however, the total concentration of precursors in the pathway to cortisol production was significantly higher in the patient group (72.2 ± 50.3 vs 25.0 ± 28.5 μg/dL; p < 0.05). We conclude that the clinical picture of late-onset adrenal insufficiency in preterm infants is not a result of an absolute deficiency of cortisol production, but may be a result of a limited ability to synthesize sufficient cortisol for the degree of clinical stress.

Resveratrol inhibits 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity in rat adipose microsomes.

It has been suggested that resveratrol, a polyphenol in wine, can regulate adiposity because it decreases adipose deposition in mice and rats; however, the mechanism underlying this effect has not been fully clarified. In humans and rodents, 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) is expressed in liver and adipose tissue. 11β-HSD1 converts inactive glucocorticoid into active glucocorticoid in adipocytes. Activated glucocorticoid plays an important role in the pathogenesis of central obesity. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of resveratrol on 11β-HSD1 activity in rodent adipose tissue. 11β-HSD1 activity in microsomes from rat mesenteric adipose depots and 3T3-L1 adipocytes was determined in the presence of 11-dehydrocorticosterone with or without varying concentrations of resveratrol. Significant inhibition of 11β-HSD1 by resveratrol was observed in rat adipose microsomes and 3T3-L1 adipocytes within 10u200amin. Time- and dose-dependent effects were also observed. The 11β-HSD1 activity by resveratrol was also inhibited in rat epididymal adipose tissue, and this inhibition was not recovered by estrogen receptor blockers. The kinetic study revealed that resveratrol acted as a non-competitive inhibitor of 11β-HSD1. Ki and IC50 values of resveratrol were 39.6 and 35.2u200aμM respectively. Further, resveratrol did not affect the activities of 11β-HSD2 and hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. These results suggest that the most likely mechanism of 11β-HSD1 inhibition by resveratrol is via interaction between resveratrol and 11β-HSD1 enzyme, rather than via a transcriptional pathway. We demonstrated that the antiobesity effects of resveratrol may partially be attributed to the inhibition of 11β-HSD1 activity in adipocytes.

Solid phase fluoroimmunoassay for 11-deoxycortisol in serum using 21-amino-17-hydroxyprogesterone

Solid phase fluoroimmunoassay of serum 11-deoxycortisol (17,21-dihydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione) was established using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled 11-deoxycortisol and anti-11-deoxycortisol antibody-conjugated polyacrylamide beads. 21-Amino-17-hydroxyprogesterone (21-amino-17-hydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione) was synthesized as a useful derivative for preparing the fluorescent dye conjugate. Serum 11-deoxycortisol was measured with this assay system after extraction and purification by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. The minimal amount of 11-deoxycortisol detected was 40 pg/tube and the measurable range was from 0.04 to 5.0 microgram/dl. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 8.3% (n=6) and 9.8% (n=5), respectively. 11-deoxycortisol values determined by the present assay correlated well with those determined by radioimmunoassay. The present assay is particularly suitable for estimating the conditions of the pituitary and adrenocortical functions.