title: Involvement of muscarinic receptors in the control of female puberty in the rat.
abstract: Immature female rats (21 days of age) were chronically intraperitoneally treated with guanethidine or muscarinic agents. The effects on the timing of puberty and ovarian wet weight, protein and total RNA and DNA contents were studied. While guanethidine (20.0 mg/kg/day) was ineffective, trihexyphenidyl and especially propantheline (15.0 mg/kg/day) delayed vaginal opening (by 23%) and the first vaginal oestrus (by 28%), and lowered ovarian weight (by 37%) and other ovarian growth parameters. Carbachol (0.2 mg/kg/day) reversed the effects of propantheline. Thus, in contrast to the adrenergic system, the cholinergic system appears to substantially contribute to the accurate onset of female puberty and ovarian growth in the rat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Trkulja
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lacković
mesh_terms: D018663:Adrenergic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004971:Estrus / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006145:Guanethidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D018721:Muscarinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D010053:Ovary / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000502:physiology*; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018663:Adrenergic Agents; D018721:Muscarinic Agonists; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; D006145:Guanethidine