CEFYBO   02669
CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS FARMACOLOGICOS Y BOTANICOS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Endocannabinoid system participates in the neuroendocrine control of homeostasis
Autor/es:
ANDREA DE LAURENTIIS
Lugar:
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Reunión:
Congreso; III IberoAmerican Congress in Neuroimmunomodulation; 2009
Institución organizadora:
International Society of neuroimmunomodulation
Resumen:
The hypothalamo neurohypophyseal system plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis under a variety of stress conditions, including endotoxemia. It is well known that oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) synthesized by neurons mainly located in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) are important hormones released from the neurohypophyseal terminal into the blood stream and within different brain regions in response to a stressful stimuli. However, the mechanism involved in the control of VP and OT secretion has not yet fully elucidated. Nitric oxide (NO) is a known mediator that regulates the release of these hormones acting at both hypothalamic and neurohypophyseal levels.  The endocannabinoid system is a recently identified intercellular system that not only represents the biological substrate of the effects of marijuana, but also modulates several neuroendocrine axes. Endocannabinoids are released as retrograde messengers by hypothalamic magnocellular neurones and cannabinoid receptors are localized within the PVN and SON, as well as in anterior and posterior pituitary lobes, suggesting a role of endocannabinoids in the production and release of OT and VP. We found that the effect of anandamide on OT and VP release is exerted via NO. Furthermore, our studies suggest that endocannabinoids may differentially affect OT and VP secretion by acting in opposite way at each level of the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system.