Tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons and lactotropes in young and old female rats
Details
Serval ID
serval:BIB_FCD12E51AF7D
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons and lactotropes in young and old female rats
Journal
Neurobiology of Aging
ISSN
0197-4580
Publication state
Published
Issued date
04/1992
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
13
Number
2
Pages
275-81
Notes
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't --- Old month value: Mar-Apr
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't --- Old month value: Mar-Apr
Abstract
Aging in female rats is accompanied by several endocrine dysfunctions, such as reproductive decline associated with characteristic hyperprolactinemia, lactotrope hyperplasia, and functional impairment of hypothalamic tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) neurons. The aim of this morphometrical, immunocytochemical, and densitometrical study was to gain a better anatomical knowledge of TIDA neurons and axons as well as of lactotropes in old female rats with (A) or without (NA) pituitary adenomas, compared with young animals. At the hypothalamic level, we found that tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-labeled neurons in the arcuate nucleus were comparable in young and old NA yet their size and TH-content were increased in A animals. Also the TH-labeled median eminence axons did not differ significantly between young and old NA but were more numerous in the old A rats. Independently from adenomas, both number of prolactin (PRL)-labeled structures and content of immunoreactive PRL were increased in pituitaries of old rats, the plasma PRL levels, however, were high only in A. Our findings support the documented lactotrope hypertrophy and hyperplasia in old female rats and suggest that TIDA-neuron changes only occur in hyperprolactinemic animals carrier of adenomas.
Keywords
Adenoma/metabolism
Aging/*physiology
Animals
Densitometry
Dopamine/*physiology
Female
Hypothalamus/cytology/*metabolism
Lactation/*physiology
Neurons/*physiology
Pituitary Gland, Anterior/metabolism
Pituitary Neoplasms/metabolism
Prolactin/blood
Prolactinoma/metabolism
Rats
Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase/metabolism
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
11/02/2008 14:12
Last modification date
20/08/2019 16:27