I. Iwai et al., STIMULATORY EFFECT OF SAIREITO ON PROOPIOMELANOCORTIN GENE-EXPRESSIONIN THE RAT ANTERIOR-PITUITARY GLAND, Neuroscience letters, 157(1), 1993, pp. 37-40
The effect of administration of Saireito, a Saiko agent, via a stomach
cannula on adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) release and gene expression of
proopiomelanocortin (POMC), the precursor for ACTH. in the anterior pi
tuitary, as well as on the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the
hypothalamus, was examined in pentobarbital anesthetized rats. Sairei
to decreased the hypothalamic CRF level due to an early release of CRF
and stimulated ACTH release and POMC gene expression but did not incr
ease CRF gene expression. These results suggest that Saireito does not
stimulate CRF gene expression, although it does stimulate CRF release
, which in turn stimulates POMC gene expression in the anterior pituit
ary and ACTH release.