From:
Mike McBride
Date: 2001-10-16 12:40:00 UTC
Subject: [Ferret-Health-list] Re: Anipryl/Adrenal Disease
On Tuesday October 16 2001 8:16, you wrote:
> I don't have any quotable information on Anipryl usage in ferrets and
> why it doesn't work,
Anipryl (L-Deprenyl HCl) is a drug targeted to supress the pituitary glands
release of a hormone called ACTH. (The pituitary gland is a small gland at
the base of the brain that coordinates several different hormone producing
glands in animals) In dogs and certain other species, suppressing the release
of ACTH can be an effective treatment for hyperadrenocorticism (Cushings
disease from the human literature). This drug is effective only in some dogs
because they suffer from a hormone secreting tumor in the pituitary gland
(usually a microadenoma if memory serves me well), that produces too much
ACTH. When too much ACTH is produced, then the adrenal glands are receiving
signals to produce too much of the hormones they are responsible for (in dogs
this is cortisol and other related compounds).
Ferrets do not have Cushings disease, but rather a different form of
hyperadrenocorticism. In ferrets, the pituitary is normal, but the adrenal
glands develop tumors *within* the adrenal glands ( 45% benign hyperplasia,
45% carcinoma and approx 10% adenomas). These tumors do not respond to ACTH
stimulation, but instead they produce their hormones without influence from
the pituitary gland.
Since the adrenal tumors in ferrets are not following the hormone signals
from the pituitary, using Anipryl to reduce the output of ACTH hormone from
the pituitary will be fruitless when used in ferrets.
> but there's an excellent explanation on how
> Lupron works right here in the file area. Look there for
> Lupron.pdf. While it's written so that even us laymen can get a
> grasp on how Lupron works, I think it goes into enough of the
> technicalities that even a vet would appreciate it.
If this file is not enough techincal information for your veterinarian, there
have been several technical write ups in veterinary journals that will
provide more details.
Mike McBride, DVM
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