GABAergic and catecholaminergic innervation of mediobasal hypothalamic beta-endorphin cells projecting to the medial preoptic area.

In the absence of cellular estrogen receptors or proven direct estrogen action in the rat, it is assumed that estrogen indirectly regulates the secretory activity of the preoptic area luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone-producing cells. We have previously shown that pro-opiomelanocortin neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the rat send axons rostrally to connect with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone neurons of the preoptic area. An experiment combining retrograde tracing and double-immunostaining was used to test the hypothesis that rat GABAergic and/or catecholaminergic neurons can influence luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone-producing cells via mediobasal hypothalamic beta-endorphin neurons. The retrograde tracer horseradish peroxidase was injected into the medial preoptic area; two days later, arcuate nucleus Vibratome sections were double-immunostained for beta-endorphin and glutamate decarboxylase or tyrosine hydroxylase. Light and electron microscopic analysis of these triple-labeled sections demonstrated that a population of beta-endorphin-immunoreactive neurons concentrated in the ventromedial arcuate nucleus contain retrogradely transported horseradish peroxidase granules and form synaptic contacts with glutamate decarboxylase- and tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive axon terminals. The present data suggest that arcuate nucleus GABA and catecholamine fibers may influence luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone-containing neurons via projective pro-opiomelanocortin cells.