HYPOTHALAMIC MONOAMINES AFTER THE NEONATAL ANDROGENIZATION, CASTRATION OR RESERPINE TREATMENT OF THE RAT

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The content of hypothalamic monoamines in the early androgenizated, castrated or reserpinized rats has been studied. Female rats were injected intraperitoneally on the 4th day after birth with either testosterone propionate (650 μg) or reserpine (50 μg), and male rats were either injected with reserpine (50 μg) or castrated. Primary catecholamines were demonstrated histochemically by the formaldehyde fluorescence method in the hypothalami of 30- and 60-day-old rats that had been so treated. Reserpine diminished the intensity of formaldehyde-induced fluorescence at 30 days but had no effect at 60 days. In castrated animals, a slightly increased intensity of yellow-green fluorescence was visible prepuberally in some arcuate cell bodies. Quantitative estimations of noradrenaline and serotonin content in the hypothalamus and cerebral cortex of rats were in agreement with the results obtained in the histochemical studies. Only reserpine had a tendency to reduce the quantity of monoamines in 30-day-old rats, but was ineffective in 60-day-old rats. The results are considered to support the idea that the effect of reserpine on the gonadotrophic hormone secretion might be mediated through hypothalamic monoaminergic system.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: