Premium
Estrogenic Induction of NADPH‐ Diaphorase Activity in the Preoptic Neurons Containing Estrogen Receptor Immunoreactivity in the Female Rat
Author(s) -
Okamura Hiroaki,
Yokosuka Makoto,
Hayashi Shinji
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of neuroendocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.062
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1365-2826
pISSN - 0953-8194
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2826.1994.tb00624.x
Subject(s) - medicine , endocrinology , ovariectomized rat , nitric oxide synthase , estrogen , nadph dehydrogenase , preoptic area , estrogen receptor , nitric oxide , hypothalamus , biology , nucleus , estradiol benzoate , chemistry , neuroscience , cancer , breast cancer
Nitric oxide and estrogen have been shown to play a critical role in the control of female reproductive function. In order to determine an anatomical relationship between nitric oxide generating neurons and estrogen target neurons, NADPH‐diaphorase histochemistry was combined with estrogen receptor immunohistochemistry in the female medial preoptic area. While only a few weakly stained neurons for NADPH‐diaphorase were found in ovariectomized control rats, a drastic increase in NADPH‐diaphorase activity was observed in the medial preoptic nucleus of estradiol‐treated ovariectomized animals. The total number of NADPH‐diaphorase neurons in the estradiol‐treated group increased three‐fold relative to controls, and more than 80% of those neurons contained estrogen receptor‐immunoreactivity in their nuclei. Since neuronal NADPH‐diaphorase is nitric oxide synthase, the present result suggests that nitric oxide synthase activity can be positively regulated by estradiol in neurons containing estrogen receptor in the female medial preoptic nucleus.