title: Effects of dehydration and salt-loading on hypothalamic vasopressin mRNA level in male and female rats.
abstract: Experiments were carried out on 9- to 11-week-old male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Dot-blot analysis and 3'-end digoxigenin-labeled 26mer oligonucleotide probe were used in the investigation of vasopressin (AVP) mRNA level in the hypothalamus of male and female rats. The normal hypothalamic AVP-mRNA level in males was 48% higher than that in females (P < 0.05). Plasma osmolality was also higher in males than in females (P < 0.05). In dehydrated rats, the hypothalamic AVP-mRNA level was 2.47 and 1.98 times in females (P < 0.001) and males (P < 0.01), respectively, as much as in their normal controls; the difference in hypothalamic AVP-mRNA level between dehydrated females and males was statistically insignificant. Plasma osmolality was higher in dehydrated females than in dehydrated males (P < 0.01). In salt-loaded rats, hypothalamic AVP-mRNA level was 2.47 and 2.17 times in females (P < 0.001) and males (P < 0.01), respectively, as much as in their controls. The difference in hypothalamic AVP-mRNA level between salt-loaded males and females was not statistically significant. Plasma osmolality in salt-loaded females was also higher than that in salt-loaded males (P < 0.001). These findings indicate that there is sex difference in hypothalamic AVP mRNA level and plasma osmolality under normal conditions; during dehydration and salt-loading AVP mRNA level increases and the difference in AVP mRNA level between males and females becomes insignificant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Shanghai Medical University, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003681:Dehydration / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012737:Sex Factors; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D014667:Vasopressins