title: The role of excitatory amino acid pathways in the control of pituitary function in neonatally oestrogenized male rats.
abstract: It is well known that in the rat neonatal manipulation of the sex steroid environment results in altered hypothalamic-pituitary function in adulthood which implies an abnormal prolactin secretion and gonadotrophin response to orchidectomy. The present paper analyses the involvement of excitatory amino acid pathways in the disturbed gonadotrophin and prolactin secretion in male rats neonatally injected with oestradiol benzoate (500 micrograms on the day of birth). In the first experiment, 60-day-old control and oestrogenized male rats (intact or orchidectomized a week before) were killed 15 min after injection of vehicle, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA; 15 mg/kg) or kainic acid (KA; 15 mg/kg). In the second experiment, prepubertal males were killed 15 min after injection of vehicle or NMDA. In the third experiment 30-, 45-, 60- and 90-day-old intact control and oestrogenized males were killed 15 min after injection of vehicle or KA. In the fourth experiment, control and oestrogenized males were sham-orchidectomized, orchidectomized or orchidectomized and implanted with Silastic capsules at 30 days of age and killed on day 90, 15 min after vehicle or KA injection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000378:metabolism*; D004343:Drug Implants; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018846:Excitatory Amino Acids / Q000819:agonists / Q000502:physiology*; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology; D009919:Orchiectomy; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004343:Drug Implants; D018846:Excitatory Amino Acids; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D011388:Prolactin; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D007608:Kainic Acid