title: The effects of pregnancy and parturition on the levels of substance P-like immunoreactivity in different areas of the hypothalamus.
abstract: 1. The concentrations of substance P-like immunoreactivity (SPLI) have been measured in the rostral and caudal areas of the hypothalamus of male rats and of virgin, pregnant and puerperal female rats. 2. The rostral:caudal ratio of SPLI is similar in males and virgin females, but diminishes in pregnancy and decreases further during the puerperium. In the pre-optic area, the SPLI concentration fell significantly during parturition, from 241.8 to 177.2 pmols/g wet weight (P < 0.05), and in the medio-basal hypothalamus, the concentration rose during pregnancy and parturition, from 87.4 to 145.5 pmols/g wet weight (P < 0.001). 3. The results are discussed in relation to the endocrine and nociceptive aspects of pregnancy and parturition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Leeds, U.K.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amira
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rayfield
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D007033:Hypothalamus, Middle / Q000378:metabolism; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000378:metabolism*; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013373:Substance P / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013373:Substance P