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Título
Postnatal differentiation of the immunohistochemical expression of aromatase P450 in the rat pituitary gland
Autor(es)
Materia
Rat
Pituitary gland
Postnatal differentiation
Aromatase
Fecha de publicación
2003
Resumen
[EN]At our laboratory, we have recently
demonstrated the immunohistochemical expression of
aromatase P450 in the pituitary glands of adult rats; this
expression was seen to be sex-dependent. In order to
determine whether the changes in the expression of the
enzyme are related to changes in the gonadal sphere and
whether the expression of the enzyme is related to the
postnatal differentiation of hypophyseal cytology, in the
present work we performed an immunohistochemical
study in the rat pituitary gland from birth to old age. The
immunohistochemical reaction to aromatase was evident
and very generalized at 7 days after birth, with no large
differences between the male and female animals. At 14
days the immunohistochemical reaction was decreased
in the females, with no changes in the males. At 17 days,
aromatase immunoreactivity in the pituitary glands of
female rats was very weak whereas the males showed
large numbers of reactive cells. These observations were
further pronounced at 21 days and 2 months of life. At
24 months, the immunoreactivity found in the pituitary
glands of the male rats had almost completely
disappeared. Our results show that a postnatal
differentiation in the immunohistochemical expression
of aromatase occurs; this is tightly linked to sexual
activity and is lost in old age. This suggests that
hypophyseal aromatase would be related to the
mechanisms of action of gonadal steroids on
hypophyseal differentiation and secretion.
URI
ISSN
0213-3911
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