Possible Interaction: Acetylcholine and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone

“Also, ACTH may play a role in the regulation of synthesis, release, uptake, and metabolism of a number of neurotransmitters, including dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, acetylcholine , and g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as well as modulate binding at glutamatergic, serotinergic, muscarinic type 1, opiate, and dopaminergic receptors.”

“ Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) increased the concentration of cortisol in the perfusion effluent and partly inhibited the secretory response to ACh.”

“Our previous research demonstrated that ACh blockade exacerbates stress-induced adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT) secretion, and increases anxiety-like behavior (ALB) in rats.”

“Plasma ACTH concentrations increased in a dose-dependent manner after ACh injection (1-100 pmol/side), reaching a peak 30 min after ACh injection and returning to baseline within 120 min.”

“The intracerebroventricular injection of ACh also increased plasma ACTH concentrations in a dose-dependent manner in conscious rats, but not in pentobarbital-anesthetized animals.”

“A small but significant rise in aldosterone output during acetylcholine infusions was also abolished in the presence of ACTH.”

“ Acetylcholine produced a substantial fall in adrenal vascular resistance, which was significantly reduced in the presence of exogenous ACTH , while producing minimal changes in aortic blood pressure and heart rate.”

“Thus, acetylcholine appears to block the corticotropic action of serotonin by interacting with typical muscarinic receptors.”

“Lastly, the monoamine, acetylcholine , is acknowledged to be stimulatory to ACTH The large number of peptidergic and aminergic neurotransmitters with direct or indirect ACTH-releasing activity suggests a multifactorial regulation of ACTH secretion.”

“Structure activity studies point to a relation with reported effects of intracerebroventricularly administered ACTH on the turnover rate of acetylcholine and the ACTH-induced stretching and yawning syndrome.”

“ Acetylcholine appeared to exhibit a synergistic effect in combination with ACTH , and exogenous cyclic AMP; these observations suggest a different mechanism of action for acetylcholine and ACTH and point to a possible cholinergic participation in the regulation of adrenocortical differentiated functions in vivo.”

“The intraventricular injection of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH1--24) or somatostatin increases the acetylcholine turnover rate (TRACh) in the hippocampus of rats.”