Prolactin may stimulate proliferation in the olfactory epithelium of the female mouse.
BACKGROUND
Although it is well known that olfactory receptor neurons differentiated from stem cells have an unusual lifelong ability to continue neurogenesis, effective treatment of patients with sensorineural olfactory loss is still lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine whether intranasal prolactin (PRL) is an effective inducer of proliferation in the olfactory epithelium (OE).


METHODS
The OE of mice treated with PRL for 6 consecutive days and of pregnant mice on gestation day (GD) 7 was investigated by immunohistochemical study using antibodies to bromodeoxyuridine.


RESULTS
The number of bromodeoxyuridine -labeled cells in the OE increased significantly in PRL-treated female mice and GD 7 mice (but not PRL-treated male mice) compared with controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Pregnancy may induce proliferation in the OE, and administration of intranasal PRL may have almost the same effect as pregnancy on the OE of female mice.
Orita
Saeko
S
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
Yoshinobu
Junko
J
Orita
Yorihisa
Y
Tsujigiwa
Hidetsugu
H
Kakiuchi
Masashi
M
Nagatsuka
Hitoshi
H
Nomiya
Shigenobu
S
Nagai
Noriyuki
N
Nishizaki
Kazunori
K
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012737:Sex Factors
D011388:Prolactin; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine