Estrogen-induced alterations of spinal cord enkephalin gene expression
- 1 November 1999
- journal article
- Published by Wolters Kluwer Health in Pain
- Vol. 83 (2) , 243-248
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s0304-3959(99)00109-8
Abstract
Enkephalin-synthesizing neurons in the superficial laminae of the spinal and trigeminal dorsal horn are critical components of the endogenous pain-modulatory system. We have previously demonstrated that these neurons display intracellular estrogen receptors, suggesting that estrogen can potentially influence their enkephalin expression. By using Northern blot, we now show that a bolus injection of estrogen results in a rapid increase in spinal cord enkephalin mRNA levels in ovariectomized female rats. Thus, 4 h after estrogen administration the enkephalin mRNA-expression in the lumbar spinal cord was on average 68% higher (PPKeywords
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