[Biochemical and histological changes in the hypothalamus in hormone-stimulated sheep].

The effects were investigated of a hormonal preparation of serum gonadotrophin (SC) on neurosecretion, PAS-positive mucopolysaccharides and on histological changes in the third cerebral ventricle; at the same time variations were determined of catecholamine concentrations of ependyma surface in the hypothalamic regions that control directly reproductive functions in ewes of the Merino and Wallachian breeds in the oestrus period. Ewe oestrus was synchronized by insertion of Ageline (Spofa) sponges into the vagina. A dose of 2000 IU of serum gonadotrophin (Bioveta, Ivanovice in Haná) was administered to stimulate the ewes (n = 30). Twelve ewes of the Wallachian breed, six control and six test ones, were used for radioenzymatic detection of catecholamines (Catechola test, Prague). The brains were segmented immediately after bleeding and samples were taken from the eminentia medialis, area preoptica and corpus mamillare pursuant to the stereotactic configuration of the sheep hypothalamus (Welento et al., 1968). The brains of ten ewes of the Merino breed, four control and six test ones, and of eight ewes of the Wallachian breed (four control and four test ones) were used for histological treatment. For the purposes of a histological study, the brains were treated with current histological methods. The amount of neurosecretory material was assessed by light microscopy (Nakahara, 1963). Samples for the study of ependyma of the lower part of the third cerebral ventricle were examined in a scanning electron microscope. The obtained results demonstrate a statistically significant decrease by 36.4% (P less than 0.05) in epinephrin concentrations in the area preoptica of hypothalamus after SG administration (Fig. 3), in comparison with the control group. A decrease in norepinephrin concentration in the corpus mamillare (Fig. 4) was statistically significant (P less than 0.001). The dose of 2000 IU SG influenced most markedly catecholamine concentrations in the eminentia medialis (Fig. 5), where a statistically significant decrease in epinephrin and norepinephrin concentration was observed (P less than 0.01). Dopamine concentrations also decreased significantly (P less than 0.05) in the eminentia medialis (Fig. 5). Following the hormonal stimulation, a significant increase in dopamine and epinephrin concentrations was observed in the hypophysis of sheep (Fig. 6; P less than 0.05) and in the epiphysis there was a significant decrease in epinephrin and dopamine concentration (P less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)