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Abstract
Neurohypophysial astrocytes, the pituicytes, are known to undergo morphological changes
in vivo in response to stimuli that increase the demand for hormone secretion. Similar
changes have been induced by beta-adrenergic stimulation both in the isolated, but
otherwise intact, neural lobe and in pituicytes cultured from adult rats. Since the
predominant beta-receptor subtype in the neural lobe is beta 2, we investigated the
possibility that beta 2-receptor activation is mainly responsible for the observed
pituicyte responses. In one experiment, cultured pituicytes were induced by noradrenalin
to change from flattened amorphous to stellate morphology. Addition of the beta 2-antagonist
IPS 339, but not the beta 1-antagonist practolol, significantly reduced (by 30-60%)
the number of cells transformed by noradrenalin. In a second experiment, adrenalin,
by definition a more potent beta 2-agonist, transformed significantly more pituicytes
into stellate shapes than did noradrenalin at the same concentrations (100% vs. 60%
increase, respectively). These results support the idea that beta 2-adrenergic receptors
are involved in neurohypophysial plasticity. Also, since the neural lobe is outside
of the bloodbrain barrier, these findings suggest that adrenal catecholamines participate
in altering pituicyte morphology.