title: The human neurosecretory neurones under perinatal hypoxia: a quantitative immunohistochemical study of the supraoptic nucleus in autopsy material.
abstract: In the rat, experimental manipulations that cause activation of the magnocellular neurosecretory neurones result in the synthesis, in addition to vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXY), of other neurotransmitters or peptides, including tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the first and rate limiting enzyme for catecholamine biosynthesis. In the human neonate, our previous study showed that TH was selectively increased in AVP neurones of subjects that died from prolonged perinatal hypoxia. The purpose of the present study was to quantitatively investigate the expression of TH, AVP, OXY and neurophysin in magnocellular neurones of the human neonate in relation to the severity/duration of perinatal hypoxia, as estimated by neuropathological criteria. Autopsy was performed after obtaining parental written consent for diagnostic and research purposes. The intensity of the immunohistochemical reactions and the cellular/nuclear size were measured in the dorsolateral supraoptic nucleus using a computerised image analysis system. We showed that prolonged perinatal hypoxia resulted in the activation of the magnocellular neuroendocrine neurones of the human neonate, as indicated by their increased neuronal and nuclear size. OXY neurones appeared larger than the AVP ones at birth, possibly indicating an active role of foetal OXY during labour or even earlier. The gradual increase in the duration of the insult resulted in the reduction of intracellular AVP content, in parallel with a dramatic increase in the expression of TH, indicating a functional interaction of these peptides under neuronal activation. Ιsolated evidence in our series, obtained from an infant of a diabetic mother, raises the probability that in the case of hyperglycaemia the above pathogenetic mechanisms are diversified.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Psychiatry, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.|University Mental Health Research Institute, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pagida
authors.affiliation: First Department of Pathology, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Konstantinidou
authors.affiliation: First Department of Psychiatry, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.|University Mental Health Research Institute, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Y I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Malidelis
authors.affiliation: First Department of Psychiatry, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.|University Mental Health Research Institute, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ganou
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Pediatrics, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tsekoura
authors.affiliation: First Department of Pathology, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Patsouris
authors.affiliation: First Department of Psychiatry, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.|University Mental Health Research Institute, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Panayotacopoulou
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000473:pathology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013495:Supraoptic Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: human hypothalamus; oxytocin; perinatal hypoxia; tyrosine hydroxylase; vasopressin