title: Effects of capsaicin on reproductive function in the female rat: role of peptide-containing primary afferent nerves innervating the uterine cervix in the neuroendocrine copulatory response.
abstract: Nerves immunoreactive for the peptides substance P, neurokinin A, calcitonin gene-related peptide or cholecystokinin-octapeptide innervate the uterine cervix in the rat. Nerve terminals are associated with the myometrial and vascular smooth muscle and are distributed throughout the endocervix. These nerves degenerate following neonatal capsaicin treatment indicating that they are small-diameter, unmyelinated, C-type primary afferent nerves. Adult female rats, treated with capsaicin as neonates, exhibit decreased fertility following mating and diminished sensitivity to the induction of pseudopregnancy following copulomimetic electrical stimulation of the cervix. The results also demonstrate that hypothalamo-adenohypophyseal-ovarian interactions, corpus luteum progesterone secretion and uterine sensitivity to progesterone are normal in capsaicin-treated rats. Taken together, these data suggest that the reproductive dysfunction observed in capsaicin-treated rats is due to destruction of the afferent limb of the neuroendocrine copulatory response that facilitates the luteal progesterone secretion necessary to support pregnancy or pseudopregnancy. Thus, it is concluded that the afferent limb of this neuroendocrine response in the rat consists primarily of unmyelinated, peptide-containing, C-type primary afferent nerves.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington 40536-0084.
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Traurig
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Papka
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Rush
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002211:Capsaicin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000294:innervation*; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008781:Methyltyrosines / Q000494:pharmacology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000502:physiology; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D011555:Pseudopregnancy / Q000139:chemically induced; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D019805:alpha-Methyltyrosine
chemical_list: D008781:Methyltyrosines; D010455:Peptides; D011374:Progesterone; D019805:alpha-Methyltyrosine; D002211:Capsaicin