The role of corticosterone in the presence of stress upon the pineal function in rats.

Author(s)

Renato Couto Moraes

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB/SDI)
• Defense date: 2010-08-19

Examining board members

Regina Pekelmann Markus; Frederico Azevedo da Costa Pinto; Cristoforo Scavone; Carolina Demarchi Munhoz de Souza; Deborah Suchecki

• Advisor: Regina Pekelmann Markus

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to test the hypothesis that the pineal is a player on stress response, likewise that it is one player in inflammatory process. Two stress models, restraint and cold, were applied to the rats for 30 min or 2 hous. The results were: absence of gastric ulcers and TNF serum levels in both stresses, just enhancement of corticosterone plasma levels; only in two hours anyone stress increased significantly pineal melatonin; metyrapone or mifepristone treatment abolish indistinctly the effects of the stresses; thalidomide or phenylephrine treatment did not modify the effects of the stresses. We conclude that the acute moderate stress by the corticosterone action promote modulation of pineal on the dependence of the physiological status of itself. We confirm the existence of a network between the adrenal and pineal glands. We affirm that the pineal gland performs, beyond of its chronobiotical classical functions, one role of the great sensor of internal body state to the whole organism. (AU)