Estradiol target neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus and lateral ventromedial nucleus of young adult, reproductively senescent, and monosodium glutamate-lesioned female golden hamsters.
Histoautoradiographic methods were used to assess estrogen target neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) and ventromedial nucleus, lateral portion (LVM), comparing young adult and aged female golden hamsters. A subgroup of young adult females had ARC lesions induced by monosodium glutamate at neonatal day 8. All were ovariectomized to remove endogenous estrogens. Controls were given nonradioactive estradiol. After 3H-estradiol (3H-E2) was injected intravenously, hypothalami were removed, frozen, and processed for histoautoradiography. In the ARC and LVM the ratio of 3H-E2 labelled neurons to total neurons counted was significantly lower in the older animals. Young females with ARC lesions had very few 3H-E2 labelled neurons remaining in the ARC but had a normal complement in the LVM. Although 3H-E2 labelled ARC neurons were notably decreased in old females, those ARC neurons that were labelled in the old had virtually the same frequency distribution of the labelling index as in the young, suggesting no change in the average estrogen uptake per target cell.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001111:Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects*; D002369:Castration; D006224:Cricetinae; D004958:Estradiol; D005260:Female; D007027:Hypothalamic Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D008647:Mesocricetus; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000187:drug effects*; D012970:Sodium Glutamate; D014316:Tritium; D014697:Ventromedial Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects*
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D014316:Tritium; D004958:Estradiol; D012970:Sodium Glutamate