The effects of bilateral adrenalectomy and colchicine on vasopressin and corticotropin-releasing factor immunoreactivity in the paraventricular nucleus of female Syrian hamsters
Abstract
Previous experimentation has indicated that rats and hamsters may differ with regard to certain aspects of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal regulation. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of bilateral adrenalectomy (BAX) on immunocytochemical expression of the adrenocorticotropin secretagogues, vasopressin (VP) and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of Syrian hamsters. It is well documented that an enormous increase in the number of PVN cells immunostained for CRF and VP occurs 3-60 d following BAX in the rat and that this reflects a change in distribution of VP cells. In two experiments presented here it is shown that like in the rat, a large increase in the number of CRF and VP cells occurs in the PVN of hamsters 14 d following BAX, but that intraventricular colchicine treatment is necessary to observe this increase in VP cells. Furthermore, it was determined that an increase in the area of CRF immunostaining in the hamster PVN occurs as early as 5 d following BAX. There was no indication that BAX had an effect on the distribution of either the CRF or VP peptide in the hamster PVN. These results suggest that BAX has an effect in hamsters that is comparable to that of the rat at the level of the PVN and as such, adrenal hormone regulation of hypothalamic releasing factors may be similar for hamster and rat species.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Meisel, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Neurology|Psychobiology|Anatomy & physiology|Animals
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