Elsevier

Biochemical Pharmacology

Volume 33, Issue 24, 15 December 1984, Pages 3947-3950
Biochemical Pharmacology

Alpha-adrenergic potentiation of beta-adrenergic stimulation of rat pineal N-acetyltransferase: Studies using cirazoline and fluorine analogs of norepinephrine

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-2952(84)90006-6Get rights and content

Abstract

Recent evidence indicates that melatonin production is controlled by norepinephrine acting via alpha1 -and beta1 -adrenoceptors on pinealocytes; activation of alpha1 -adrenoceptors appears to potentiate the effects of beta1 -adrenoceptor activation. However, alpha-adrenergic potentiation of beta1 -adrenergic activation has been demonstrated with only one alpha-adrenergic agonist. For this reason, this issue was reinvestigated using two other alpha-adrenergic agonists, 6-fluoronorepinephrine and cirazoline. Both compounds, which were found to have a high affinity for pineal alpha1-adrenoceptors, potentiated the stimulatory effects of isoproterenol on pineal N-acetyltransferase. 6-Fluoro-norepinephrine also potentiated the stimulation of N-acetyltransferase activity produced by another beta-adrenergic agonist, 2-fluoronorepinephrine. These findings support the hypothesis that pineal N-acetyltransferase activity is regulated by norepinephrine acting through both alpha1 -and beta1 - adrenoceptors.

References (17)

  • J. Axelrod et al.
  • D.A. Auerbach et al.

    Biochem. Pharmac.

    (1981)
  • A. Parfitt et al.

    Neuropharmacology

    (1976)
  • G. Hauser et al.
  • J.H. Exton

    Molec. cell. Endocr.

    (1981)
  • M. Zatz et al.

    Biochem. Pharmac.

    (1978)
  • D.C. Klein et al.
  • D.C. Klein
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (42)

  • The Pineal Gland and Melatonin

    2015, Endocrinology: Adult and Pediatric
  • Pineal function: Impact of microarray analysis

    2010, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
View all citing articles on Scopus

To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Building 10, Room 8D-42C, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20205.

View full text