Effect of deprivation of serotonin by p-chlorophenylalanine on induction and maintenance of pseudopregnancy in female rats.
The effect of serotonin synthesis inhibitor, p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA), on induction and maintenance of pseudopregnancy as indicated by deciduoma formation was examined in female rats. Animals were injected with 1 mg/kg b.wt. of reserpine on the day of metestrus, and silk thread was passed through and placed in the left uterine horn 3 days after reserpine to induce deciduoma. PCPA (100 mg/kg b.wt.) was injected daily for 4 days before or after reserpine in 15 and 13 rats, respectively. A single injection of PCPA was administered before reserpine in nine females. In another group of rats (N = 16), instead of PCPA, saline was injected four times before reserpine. Nineteen female rats were treated with reserpine only as a control group. Results showed 89% of the control and 81.3% of the saline-treated females had massive deciduoma in traumatized uterine horn. In contrast, only 33.3% or 46.2% females with daily treatments of PCPA for 4 days before or after reserpine showed positive decidual reaction. In addition, 88.9% of females with single injection of PCPA possessed uterine horns with deciduoma. These results suggest that 4 days of treatment with PCPA eliminate induction and/or maintenance of pseudopregnancy. Thus, some levels of serotonin are required to induce and maintain pseudopregnancy.
Maekawa
F
F
Department of Basic Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan.
Yamanouchi
K
K
D000818:Animals; D003656:Decidua / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D010134:Fenclonine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011555:Pseudopregnancy / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012110:Reserpine; D012701:Serotonin / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology*; D018490:Serotonin Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
D018490:Serotonin Agents; D012701:Serotonin; D012110:Reserpine; D010134:Fenclonine