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Glucocorticoids inhibit and glucocorticoid deficiency increases vasopressin (AVP) release in vivo. To determine whether the effect of glucocorticoids is hypothalamic and mediated via a glucocorticoid receptor, explants of the hypothalamic-neurohypophysial system were used to measure AVP release during agonist and antagonist exposure. Explants from adult rats, which contained AVP neurons of the supraoptic nucleus with axonal projections terminating in the neural lobe but excluded the paraventricular nucleus, were perifused with an osmotic stimulus (increase of 5 mosmol/h over 6 h) in the absence or presence of corticosterone (100 micrograms/dl) or with corticosterone (100 micrograms/dl) in the absence or presence of the glucocorticoid antagonist RU-486 (10 microM). AVP release was not increased during osmotic stimulation in the presence of corticosterone (Cort) and was 20-30% lower than osmotically stimulated release observed in the absence of Cort. RU-486 reversed the inhibitory effect of corticosterone on AVP release. No changes in AVP mRNA content were detected. These results suggest that Cort inhibits osmotically stimulated AVP release by a direct effect within the hypothalamus and/or neurohypophysis. This effect is mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor through either genomic or nongenomic mechanisms.

Reduction of renal mass (RRM) combined with a high-salt diet results in volume retention, a rise of cardiac output, and hypertension. The present studies were designed to determine whether prevention of volume retention would alter the rise of mean arterial pressure (MAP) in RRM rats given high salt. Rats were studied in a modified metabolic cage to permit continuous determination of total body weight (TBW). In group 1, NaCl was increased from 1 to 14.5 meq/day and delivered isotonically. In group 2, NaCl was increased while TBW was servo-controlled to a constant level. Group 3 was also servo-controlled, but rats received an intravenous infusion of an arginine vasopressin V1 antagonist throughout the study. MAP in group 1 rose 24 mmHg by day 4 of high salt with a parallel increase of TBW of 26 g. In group 2, MAP rose 48 mmHg by day 4 of high salt, while TBW was controlled to within 0.6% of control body weight. With inhibition of vasopressin V1 receptors (group 3), MAP rose 39 mmHg. Nearly equivalent amounts of NaCl were retained in all groups, which was associated with no change of plasma Na in group 1 but an increase of nearly 7 meq/ml in groups 2 and 3. Hematocrit fell nearly 9% in groups 2 and 3 compared with a 4% reduction in group 1. The results suggest that under conditions where net retention cannot occur, high salt intake increases MAP by an osmotically driven fluid transfer from cells, which results in an even greater expansion of blood volume.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Glucocorticoid deficiency leads to elevated plasma vasopressin (AVP), while chronic endogenous hypercortisolism may inhibit osmotically stimulated AVP, suggesting that glucocorticoids may be feedback inhibitors of AVP secretion. We evaluated the effect of physiological increases in cortisol (65 mg/day iv) for 7 days on basal AVP and oxytocin (OT) in five conscious, male dogs. Cortisol increased from 1.3 +/- 0.1 to 5.0 +/- 0.8 micrograms/dl during infusion. Basal plasma AVP significantly decreased from 3.5 +/- 0.2 to 2.6 +/- 0.3 pg/ml during cortisol infusion. Plasma OT, osmolality, and sodium did not change while arterial pressure decreased (from 107 +/- 3 to 102 +/- 2 mmHg) on days 4 and 6. Increases in cortisol led to a physiologically significant, nonosmotic decrease in AVP. The effect was specific to AVP and independent of changes in arterial pressure. Glucocorticoid administration significantly decreased basal AVP within 24 h, which is comparable to the negative feedback control of adrenocorticotropic hormone. The inverse relationship between cortisol and AVP may account for the nonosmotic change in AVP in patients with disorders of glucocorticoid secretion.

The effects of chronic nitric oxide inhibition in the renal medulla on renal cortical and medullary blood flow, sodium balance, and blood pressure were evaluated in conscious uninephrectomized Sprague-Dawley rats. During a 5-day renal medullary interstitial infusion of the nitric oxide inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 120 micrograms/h) in saline (0.5 ml/min), renal medullary blood flow was selectively decreased by 30% after 2 h and was maintained at that level for the entire infusion. The decrease in medullary blood flow was associated with sodium retention and increased blood pressure. After the cessation of L-NAME infusion, medullary blood flow returned to control, and the sodium balance became negative as blood pressure returned to baseline. These data indicate that renal medullary nitric oxide plays an important role in the regulation of renal blood flow, sodium excretion, and blood pressure.

The purpose of these studies was, first, to determine whether hypertonic saline (HS) infusion or nitroprusside (NiPr)-induced hypotension augments the vasopressin (AVP) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) responses to insulin (Ins)-induced hypoglycemia and, second, to determine whether neurohypophysectomy could attenuate the augmentation. Conscious, male dogs (n = 8) underwent two different types of experiments. In the first, Ins was preceded by either a 30-min infusion of normal saline (control) or HS to raise plasma osmolality and AVP. HS augmented the AVP response but diminished the ACTH response to Ins. In the second group of experiments, Ins was preceded by a controlled decrease in mean arterial pressure using NiPr, which led to an increase in AVP and ACTH. The initial ACTH and AVP response to Ins was augmented by NiPr, but this early augmentation was not sustained. Neurohypophysectomy attenuated the early augmentation of the ACTH response to Ins by NiPr, but did not alter the final ACTH level achieved. We conclude that HS augmented the AVP but inhibited the ACTH response to Ins probably because of expansion of plasma volume. Concomitant hypotension led to an augmentation of the early but not sustained AVP and ACTH response to Ins. Neurohypophysectomy eliminated this augmentation, suggesting a role for AVP from the neural lobe in the early ACTH response to combined hypotension and Ins-induced hypoglycemia.