Сhanges in cholesterol levels of rat adrenals, induced by methanandamide, depending on sex hormones

Abstract

The aim of the study was to clarify cholesterol involvement in realizing the effect of different concentrations of methanandamide (a metabolically stable synthetic  derivative of endogenous cannabinoid anandamide) in vitro on the content of total cholesterol in adrenoсorticocytes of intact male and female rats and castrated  animals under estradiol administration, to study the possible involvement of cholesterol in the implementation of methanandamide effects in rat adrenal tissue. The  quantitative content of total cholesterol was determined using enzymatic method. Cholesterol level was shown to be decreased in males as a result of adrenal slices’  incubation at 10-8-10-6 mol/L methanandamide concentrations, and in females it was increased at a concentration of 10-7-10-6 mol/L. The methanandamide effect  was completely eliminated by castration of females, and a decrease in cholesterol content was only observed at a 10-6 mol/L methanandamide concentration  in orchiectomized males. Three-day administration of estradiol to castrated animals resulted in a recovery of response to this substance only in the tissue of female  adrenals. It was concluded that methanandamide showed multidirectional effects on total cholesterol content in adrenoсorticocytes of males and females, which may  be associated with animal gender.