title: Chronic unpredictable stress and long-term ovariectomy affect arginine-vasopressin expression in the paraventricular nucleus of adult female mice.
abstract: Arginine-Vasopressin (AVP) may regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and its effects on depressive responses. In a recent study, we demonstrated that Chronic Unpredictable Stress (CUS) depressive effects are enhanced by long-term ovariectomy (a model of post-menopause). In the present study, we investigated the effects of long-term ovariectomy and CUS on AVP expression in different subdivision of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of female mice. Both long-term ovariectomy and CUS affect AVP immunoreactivity in some of the PVN subnuclei of adult female mice. In particular, significant changes on AVP immunoreactivity were observed in magnocellular subdivisions, the paraventricular lateral magnocellular (PaLM) and the paraventricular medial magnocellular (PaMM), the 2 subnuclei projecting to the neurohypophysis for the hormonal regulation of body homeostasis. AVP immunoreactivity was decreased in the PaLM by both the long-term deprivation of ovarian hormones and the CUS. In contrast, AVP immunoreactivity was increased in the PaMM by CUS, whereas it was decreased by ovariectomy. Therefore, present results suggest morphological and functional differences among the PVN's subnuclei and complex interactions among CUS, gonadal hormones and AVP immunoreactivity.
authors.affiliation: Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid, Spain; University of Torino, Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", Torino, Italy; Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Department of Molecular Embryology, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grassi
authors.affiliation: Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lagunas
authors.affiliation: Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Calmarza-Font
authors.affiliation: Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Diz-Chaves
authors.affiliation: Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Garcia-Segura
authors.affiliation: University of Torino, Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", Torino, Italy; Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, Torino, Italy; National Institute of Neuroscience (INN), Torino, Italy. Electronic address: giancarlo.panzica@unito.it.
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Panzica
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D042341:Gonadal Hormones / Q000172:deficiency*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010052:Ovariectomy; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D010784:Photomicrography; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D035501:Uncertainty
chemical_list: D042341:Gonadal Hormones; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D003345:Corticosterone
keywords: Depression; Hypothalamus; Menopause; Stress; Vasopressin