CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 438Stress Responses and CortisolAdrenal Hormones and DisordersHypothalamic control of reproductive hormones

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 2 of the 2 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Circadian variation in basal plasma corticosterone and adrenocorticotropin in the rat: sexual dimorphism and changes across the estrous cycle

Atkinson, Helen C., Waddell, Brendan J.·1997·Endocrinology
DOI 10.1210/endo.138.9.5395
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Sexual dimorphism in the rat hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis was investigated by determination of plasma corticosterone and immunoreactive (I-) ACTH in males and in females at each stage of the estrous cycle. A serial blood-sampling technique enabled assessment of covariation of the two hormones across the full circadian range of their concentrations within individual animals. Distinct diurnal rhythms in plasma corticosterone were evident in all rats, and the degree and timing of this rhythmicity, determined by cosinor analyses, did not vary with gender or cycle stage. There were, however, marked differences in absolute levels of corticosterone across the estrous cycle, with the average daily concentration (mesor) increasing progressively from a minimum at estrus (129 ± 11 ng/ml) to a maximum 3 days later at proestrus (246 ± 14 ng/ml). The mesor corticosterone value in male rats (102 ± 21 ng/ml) was not different from that in estrous females, but was lower than that in females at all other stages of the cycle. In contrast, no gender- or cycle-related differences were detected in absolute levels of I-ACTH, although distinct diurnal rhythms, synchronous with those for corticosterone, were evident in all groups. Accordingly, a strong and positive within-rat relationship between plasma corticosterone and I-ACTH was observed in all groups, but there was a clear shift in the nature of this relationship across the estrous cycle, such that the slope (i.e. concentration of plasma corticosterone per unit concentration of I-ACTH) was minimal in males and estrous females and maximal in proestrous females. In conclusion, this study shows that the extent of sexual dimorphism in resting plasma corticosterone levels is dependent on estrous cycle stage, being absent at estrus and maximal at proestrus. Moreover, this variation in plasma corticosterone was not accompanied by corresponding changes in plasma I-ACTH, suggestive of cycle-related changes in responsiveness of the adrenal cortex to trophic stimulation.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1210/endo.138.9.5395

Cites

2 of 2 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Citations

Cites

Show all 2 references

Research works printed but not linked: 43

  1. Hiroshige, 1973, Sex difference in circadian periododicity of CRF activity in the rat hypothalamus., Neuroendocrinology, 11, 306, 10.1159/000122142 · DOI
  2. Krieger, 1973, Effect of ocular enucleation and altered lighting regimens at various ages on the circadian periodicity of plasma corticosteroid levels in the rat., Endocrinology, 93, 1077, 10.1210/endo-93-5-1077 · DOI
  3. Krieger, 1974, Food and water restriction shifts corticosterone, temperature, activity and brain amine periodicity., Endocrinology, 95, 1195, 10.1210/endo-95-5-1195 · DOI
  4. Allen-Rowlands, 1980, Circadian rhythmicity of ACTH and corticosterone in the rat., J Endocrinol Invest, 4, 371, 10.1007/BF03349373 · DOI
  5. Lesniewska, 1990, Sex differences in adrenocortical structure and function. XXVIII. ACTH and corticosterone in intact, gonadectomised and gonadal hormone replaced rats., Horm Metab Res, 22, 378
  6. Griffin, 1991, Sex and strain differences in the circadian rhythm fluctuation of endocrine and immune function in the rat: implications for rodent models of autoimmune disease., J Immunol, 35, 53
  7. Chisari, 1995, Sex and strain variability in the rat hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function., J Endocrinol Invest, 18, 25, 10.1007/BF03349692 · DOI
  8. Phillips, 1978, A method to study temporal changes in adrenal activity in relation to sexual status in the female laboratory rat., J Endocrinol, 77, 283, 10.1677/joe.0.0770283 · DOI
  9. Burgess, 1992, Chronic estrogen-induced alterations in adrenocorticotropin and corticosterone secretion, and glucocorticoid receptor-mediated functions in female rats., Endocrinology, 131, 1261, 10.1210/endo.131.3.1324155 · DOI · Paper page
  10. Carey, 1995, The influence of ovarian steroids on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal regulation in the female rat., J Endocrinol, 144, 311, 10.1677/joe.0.1440311 · DOI · Paper page
  11. Raps, 1971, Plasma and adrenal corticosterone levels during the different phases of the sexual cycle in normal female rats., Experientia, 27, 339, 10.1007/BF02138184 · DOI
  12. Buckingham, 1978, Activity of the pituitary-adenocortical system and thyroid gland during the oestrous cycle of the rat., J Endocrinol, 78, 359, 10.1677/joe.0.0780359 · DOI
  13. Freeman, 1988, The ovarian cycle of the rat. In: Knobil E, Neill JD (eds) The Physiology of Reproduction., Raven Press, New York, vol, 2, 1893
  14. Vamvakopoulos, 1994, Hormonal regulation of human corticotropin-releasing hormone gene expression: implications for the stress response and immune/inflammatory reaction., Endocr Rev, 15, 409, 10.1210/edrv-15-4-409 · DOI
  15. Viau, 1991, Variations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to stress during the estrous cycle in the rat., Endocrinology, 129, 2503, 10.1210/endo-129-5-2503 · DOI · Paper page
  16. Atkinson, 1995, The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in rat pregnancy and lactation: circadian variation and interrelationship of plasma adrenocorticotropin and corticosterone., Endocrinology, 136, 512, 10.1210/endo.136.2.7835284 · DOI
  17. Kitay, 1968, Effects of estrogen and androgen on the adrenal cortex of the rat. In: Mckerns KW (ed) Functions of the Adrenal Cortex., North Holland, Amsterdam, vol, 2, 775
  18. Nowak, 1995, Effects of sex hormones on the steroidogenic activity of dispersed adrenocortical cells of the rat adrenal cortex., Life Sci, 57, 833, 10.1016/0024-3205(95)02015-B · DOI
  19. Terkel, 1974, A chronic intravenous cannulation technique adapted for behavioral studies., Horm Behav, 5, 141, 10.1016/0018-506X(74)90038-5 · DOI
  20. Waddell, 1993, Release of bioactive ACTH by perifused human placenta at early and late gestation., J Endocrinol, 136, 345, 10.1677/joe.0.1360345 · DOI
  21. Snedecor, 1989, Statistical Methods,
  22. Glenister, 1961, Sex difference in the rate of disappearance of corticosterone-4-C14 from plasma of intact rats: further evidence for the influence of hepaticΔ 4-steroid hydrogenase activity on adrenal cortical function., Endocrinology, 68, 747, 10.1210/endo-68-5-747 · DOI
  23. Saroff, 1969, Metabolic clearance and production rates of corticosterone in male and female virgin and breeder rats., Acta Endocrinol (Copenh), 62, 411, 10.1530/acta.0.0620411 · DOI
  24. Woodward, 1991, The effects of fasting on plasma corticosterone kinetics in rats., Br J Nutr, 66, 117, 10.1079/BJN19910015 · DOI
  25. Gala, 1965, Corticosteroid-binding globulin in the rat: studies on the sex difference., Endocrinology, 77, 841, 10.1210/endo-77-5-841 · DOI · Paper page
  26. Mataradze, 1992, The role of sex steroids in the formation of sex-differentiated concentrations of corticosteroid-binding globulin in rats., J Endocrinol, 132, 235, 10.1677/joe.0.1320235 · DOI
  27. Zimmerman, 1967, Effects of diurnal variation in plasma corticosterone levels on adrenocortical response to stress., Proc Soc Exp Biol Med, 125, 658, 10.3181/00379727-125-32172 · DOI
  28. Hennessey, 1979, Plasma corticosterone concentrations sensitively reflect levels of stimulus intensity in the rat., Physiol Behav, 22, 821, 10.1016/0031-9384(79)90321-4 · DOI
  29. Engeland, 1989, Dissociation between changes in plasma bioactive and immunoreactive adrenocorticotropin after hemorrhage in awake dogs., Endocrinology, 124, 2978, 10.1210/endo-124-6-2978 · DOI
  30. Goverde, 1989, The bioactivity of immunoreactive adrenocorticotrophin in human blood is dependent on the secretory state of the pituitary gland., Clin Endocrinol (Oxf), 31, 255, 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1989.tb01249.x · DOI
  31. Roebuck, 1980, In vitro effects of high molecular weight forms of ACTH on the fetal sheep adrenal., Nature, 284, 616, 10.1038/284616a0 · DOI
  32. Pedersen, 1980, Pro-adrenocorticotropin/endorphin-derived peptides: coordinate action on adrenal steroidogenesis., Science, 208, 1044, 10.1126/science.6246578 · DOI
  33. Cutler Jr, 1978, Estrogen receptor in rat adrenal gland., Endocrinology, 102, 252, 10.1210/endo-102-1-252 · DOI
  34. Muller, 1978, Estrogen-binding protein in mouse and rat adrenal glands., J Biol Chem, 253, 740, 10.1016/S0021-9258(17)38165-6 · DOI
  35. Luthy, 1986, Bromocriptine and sulpride competitively inhibit estrogen binding to its receptor in the adrenal gland., Experientia, 42, 136, 10.1007/BF01952433 · DOI
  36. Weiss, 1990, Estrogen receptors in the adrenal cortex of the possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), Comp Biochem Physiol, 96B, 375
  37. Hirst, 1992, Steroid hormone receptors in the adrenal glands of fetal and adult rhesus monkeys., J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 75, 308
  38. Handa, 1994, Gonadal steroid hormone receptors and sex differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis., Horm Behav, 28, 464, 10.1006/hbeh.1994.1044 · DOI · Paper page
  39. Hiroshige, 1973, Diurnal changes of hypothalamic content of corticotropin-releasing activity in female rats at various stages of the estrous cycle., Neuroendocrinology, 12, 316, 10.1159/000122179 · DOI
  40. Bell, 1971, Sex differences in body weight and eating: organization and activation by gonadal hormones in the rat., Physiol Behav, 7, 27, 10.1016/0031-9384(71)90231-9 · DOI
  41. ter Haar, 1972, Circadian and estrual rhythms in food intake in the rat., Horm Behav, 3, 213, 10.1016/0018-506X(72)90034-7 · DOI
  42. Weizenbaum, 1979, Similarities in the regulatory patterns of pregnant and cycling rats., Physiol Behav, 23, 891, 10.1016/0031-9384(79)90197-5 · DOI
  43. Rivier, 1991, Effect of stress on the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis: peripheral and central mechanisms., Biol Reprod, 45, 523, 10.1095/biolreprod45.4.523 · DOI · Paper page

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Metadata

Authors
Atkinson, H. C., & Waddell, B. J.
Affiliations
The University of Western Australia (AU)
Corresponding author
Waddell, Brendan J.
ORCID
Atkinson, Helen C.
Venue
Endocrinology
Publisher
The Endocrine Society
Published
1997-09-01
Volume
138
Issue
9
Pages
3842-3848
ISSN
  • 0013-7227 (ISSN-L)
  • 1945-7170
DOI
10.1210/endo.138.9.5395
OpenAlex
W2029334700
Cited by
438
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 16
FWCI
4.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Endocrinology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
Keywords
circadian rhythm, plasma corticosterone, ACTH, sexual dimorphism, estrous cycle, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, diurnal cycle, proestrus, estrus, rats
MeSH terms
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Animals, Blood Specimen Collection, Circadian Rhythm, Corticosterone, Estrus, Female, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Male, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Proestrus, Sex Characteristics, Rats, Wistar, Rats

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review