J Physiol Pharmacol. 1999 Mar;50(1):121-8.
The pineal and oxytocin synthesis.

Bojanowska E, Juszczak M, Guzek JW, Dabrowski R.

Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University, Lodz, Poland.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pineal removal on oxytocin synthesis in the hypothalamus using the colchicine method. To this end, rats were injected intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) with colchicine solution (5 microg/5 microl) or normal saline and decapitated 20 h later. The animals were either pinealectomized or sham-operated two or eight weeks before i.c.v. injection. The oxytocin content in the hypothalamus was significantly higher in colchicine-treated rats whereas no significant differences were seen in the neurohypophysial hormone level between saline- or colchicine-injected animals. Thus, colchicine inhibited the hormonal transport but probably did not affect the function of the neurohypophysis. Two weeks after pinealectomy neither the oxytocin synthesis rate nor its neurohypophysial content were significantly different from control values. The oxytocin synthesis rate was increased markedly eight weeks after pineal removal. At that time, the neurohypophysial oxytocin content was reduced suggesting the increased secretion of the hormone. It is concluded that the pineal has an inhibitory impact on both oxytocin synthesis and release.


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Pharmacol Res. 2002 Apr;45(4):319-24.
Induction of nephrotoxic serum nephritis in inbred mice and suppressive effect of colchicine on the development of this nephritis.

Chen SM, Mukoyama T, Sato N, Yamagata S, Arai Y, Satoh N, Ueda S.

Department of Drug Information and Communication, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba-shi, Japan.

Accelerated nephrotoxic serum (NTS) nephritis is successfully produced in C57BL/6 mice, using anti-murine glomerular basement membrane (GBM) rabbit antiserum. Anti-murine GBM rabbits antiserum was obtained by immunization of New Zealand white rabbit with trypsinized GBM antigen from normal C57BL/6 mice. Preimmunization with normal rabbit IgG and injection with 150 microl of NTS induced typical NTS nephritis with cellular proliferation in glomeruli, occlusion of glomerular loops, crescents, tubulointerstitial changes and hyperazotemia within 14 days. Polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) have an important role in induction and development of NTS nephritis. Furthermore, clinically used colchicine is thought to suppress functions of PMN. Therefore, the therapeutic effect of colchicine on NTS nephritis was examined. The histological score (HS) of the group treated with 60 microg kg (-1) of colchicine (2.8 +/- 0.5) was significantly lower than that of positive control group (4.03 +/- 0.3).The direct immunofluorescent microscopic study revealed that there is no quantitative difference in the deposition of rabbit IgG, mouse IgG and C3 in GBM between these two groups. Urinary protein excretion and hyperazotemia were significantly suppressed by treatment with 60 microg kg (-1) of colchicine. A NTS nephritis model was established, it was found that colchicine may have a suppressive effect on the development of glomerular nephritis. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.


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J Lab Clin Med. 2002 Jun;139(6):364-71.
Colchicine decreases apoptotic cell death in chronic cyclosporine nephrotoxicity.

Li C, Yang CW, Ahn HJ, Kim WY, Park CW, Park JH, Lee MJ, Yang JH, Kim YS, Bang BK.

Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, Korea.

Colchicine has been shown to prevent kidney injury in chronic cyclosporine nephrotoxicity; however, the mechanisms of its action are undetermined. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether colchicine prevents cyclosporine-induced kidney injury by decreasing kidney-cell apoptosis. We also sought to determine whether such an antiapoptotic effect was related to Bcl-2/Bax protein and caspase3 activity. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats kept on a salt-depleted diet (0.05% sodium) were treated daily for 28 days with cyclosporine (15 mg/kg in 1 mL/kg olive-oil vehicle), colchicine (30 microg/kg in 100% ethanol, diluted with sterile saline solution to a final concentration of 30 microg/mL), or both cyclosporine and colchicine. Kidney function, histomorphologic findings, in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling assay, expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins, and caspase-3 enzymatic activity were compared for the different treatment groups. Compared with the vehicle-treated rats, rats given cyclosporine showed a decline in creatinine clearance rate, an increase in serum creatinine concentration, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and an increase in the number of apoptotic cells (all P <.01). Concomitant administration of colchicine significantly reversed all the above parameters (all P <.05). The decreased expression of Bcl-2 and the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax protein seen in cyclosporine-treated rat kidneys were significantly increased after colchicine treatment, accompanying a suppression of caspase-3 activity (P <.05). Furthermore, the decreased apoptotic cell death was closely correlated with improved renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis (r = 0.583, P <.05). These findings strongly suggest that a renoprotective effect of colchicine on cyclosporine-induced nephrotoxicity is coassociated with a decrease in apoptotic cells.


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Forensic Sci Int. 2002 Apr 18;126(2):150-2.
Epithelial cell mitotic arrest--a useful postmortem histologic marker in cases of possible colchicine toxicity.

Gilbert JD, Byard RW.

Forensic Science Center, 21 Divett Place, Adelaide 5000, SA, Australia.

Following ingestion of 30 mg of presumed benztropine (Cogentin) a 39-year-old male developed nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. His admission to hospital was soon followed by collapse and death. Histological examination, however, revealed increased numbers of mitotic figures in otherwise normal epithelial cells of the esophagus and bronchioles, a feature characteristic of colchicine toxicity. Subsequent toxicological analyses confirmed the presence of colchicine in the urine, but not in the blood. A dispensing error had resulted in substitution of colchicine for Cogentin. Histological findings had, therefore, provided evidence of colchicine toxicity and had guided subsequent toxicological evaluation. In suspected cases of colchicine toxicity, histological samples should, therefore, be taken from multiple sites along the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract in addition to other organs and tissues so that diagnostic morphological changes can be looked for.


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