title: Nitric oxide synthase in rat brain: age comparisons quantitated with NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry.
abstract: We examined age-related differences in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) containing neurons and neuropil in the striatum and hippocampus of male Fischer 344 rats at 6, 12, and 26 mo of age. NADPH-d staining is considered to be a marker for neurons and neuronal processes containing nitric oxide synthase. Rat brains were processed for NADPH-d histochemistry and analyzed morphometrically using computerized image analysis. The following NADPH-d histochemical parameters were examined: neuronal density, neuronal size, and neuropil staining optical density of selected regions. In the striatum, significant age-related declines were observed in NADPH-d-positive neuronal density and in neuropil staining, while neuronal size increased between 6 and 12 mo and then declined between 12 and 26 mo. In the hippocampus no significant age-related changes were noted in NADPH-d-positive neuronal density or size, or in the optical density of the molecular layer of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Thus, age differences in NADPH-d histochemistry appear to be regionally specific in the Fischer 344 rat.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Physiology and Genetics Section, Nathan W. Shock Laboratories, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hengemihle
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Ingram
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D048429:Cell Size; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008297:Male; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase