Gotti Stefano, Martini Mariangela, Viglietti-Panzica Carla, Miceli Desiree, Panzica GianCarlo
Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Department of Anatomy, Pharmacology, and Forensic Medicine, University of Turin, Italy.
Ital J Anat Embryol. 2010;115(1-2):103-8.
Nitric oxide (NO)-containing neurons are widely distributed within the central nervous system, including regions involved in the control of reproduction and sexual behavior. Nitrergic neurons may co-localize with gonadal hormone receptors and gonadal hormones may influence neuronal NO synthase expression in adulthood as well as during development. In rodents, the female, in physiological conditions, is exposed to short-term changes of gonadal hormones levels (estrous cycle). Our studies, performed in mouse hypothalamic and limbic systems, reveal that the expression of neuronal NO synthase may vary according to the rapid variations of hormonal levels that take place during the estrous cycle. This is in accordance with the hypothesis that gonadal hormone activation of NO-cGMP pathway is important for mating behavior. NO-producing system appears particularly sensitive to alterations of endocrine balance during development, as demonstrated by our experiments utilizing perinatal exposure to bisphenol A, an endocrine disrupting chemical. In fact, significant effects were detected in adulthood in the medial preoptic nucleus and in the ventromedial subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Therefore, alteration of the neuronal NO synthase expression may be one of the causes of the important behavioral alterations observed in bisphenol-exposed animals.
含一氧化氮（NO）的神经元广泛分布于中枢神经系统，包括参与生殖和性行为控制的区域。一氧化氮能神经元可能与性腺激素受体共定位，性腺激素可能在成年期以及发育过程中影响神经元型一氧化氮合酶的表达。在啮齿动物中，雌性在生理条件下会经历性腺激素水平的短期变化（发情周期）。我们在小鼠下丘脑和边缘系统进行的研究表明，神经元型一氧化氮合酶的表达可能会随着发情周期中激素水平的快速变化而变化。这与性腺激素激活NO - cGMP途径对交配行为很重要的假设一致。如我们利用围产期暴露于双酚A（一种内分泌干扰化学物质）的实验所示，产生NO的系统在发育过程中似乎对内分泌平衡的改变特别敏感。事实上，在成年期的内侧视前核和终纹床核腹内侧亚区检测到了显著影响。因此，神经元型一氧化氮合酶表达的改变可能是双酚暴露动物中观察到的重要行为改变的原因之一。
