Wang Wenjuan, Bai Wenpei, Cui Guangxia, Jin Biao, Wang Ke, Jia Jing, Da Yunmeng, Qin Lihua
Anatomy and Embryology Department, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, PR China.
Neuroendocrinology. 2015;101(2):120-32. doi: 10.1159/000375162. Epub 2015 Jan 19.
We investigated the norepinephrine pathway changes from the locus coeruleus (LC) to the preoptic area of the hypothalamus (POAH) in the brain of ovariectomized rats under low estrogen levels and explored the therapeutic effects of estradiol valerate (E2) and Remifemin (ICR) on these changes.
40 female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following groups: surgery with vehicle (SHAM), ovariectomy surgery with vehicle (OVX), ovariectomy with E2 treatment (OVX + E2), and ovariectomy with Remifemin (OVX + ICR). After 4 weeks of treatment, we observed the changes by immunohistochemistry.
(1) The average optical density of DBH-ir fibers and the number of α1-adrenoreceptor- and estrogen receptor (ER)α-positive neurons in the main nuclei of POAH were all reduced in OVX rats compared with the SHAM group. The above changes were normalized in all nuclei of the POAH in the E2 group, while they were normalized in some nuclei in the ICR group. Coexpression of ERα and α1-adrenoreceptor was observed in the POAH. (2) The number of DBH- and ERα-positive neurons in the LC decreased in the OVX group compared with the SHAM group and increased after treatment with E2 and ICR. Coexpression of ERα and DBH was observed in the LC.
Low estrogen (OVX) altered norepinephrine synthesis in the LC, the projection of norepinephrine fibers and α1-adrenoreceptor expression in the POAH. Both E2 and ICR normalized the norepinephrine pathway, but E2 achieved greater effects than ICR. ICR had different effects in different nuclei in the POAH and its therapeutic effect was better in the LC.
我们研究了低雌激素水平下卵巢切除大鼠脑内从蓝斑（LC）到下丘脑视前区（POAH）的去甲肾上腺素通路变化，并探讨了戊酸雌二醇（E2）和莉芙敏（ICR）对这些变化的治疗作用。
40只雌性Sprague-Dawley大鼠随机分为以下几组：假手术组（SHAM）、卵巢切除手术组（OVX）、卵巢切除+E2治疗组（OVX+E2）和卵巢切除+莉芙敏治疗组（OVX+ICR）。治疗4周后，通过免疫组织化学观察变化。
（1）与SHAM组相比，OVX大鼠POAH主要核团中DBH免疫反应阳性纤维的平均光密度以及α1-肾上腺素能受体和雌激素受体（ER）α阳性神经元的数量均降低。E2组POAH所有核团中的上述变化均恢复正常，而ICR组部分核团中的变化恢复正常。在POAH中观察到ERα和α1-肾上腺素能受体的共表达。（2）与SHAM组相比，OVX组LC中DBH和ERα阳性神经元的数量减少，E2和ICR治疗后增加。在LC中观察到ERα和DBH的共表达。
低雌激素（OVX）改变了LC中去甲肾上腺素的合成、去甲肾上腺素纤维的投射以及POAH中α1-肾上腺素能受体的表达。E2和ICR均使去甲肾上腺素通路恢复正常，但E2的效果优于ICR。ICR在POAH的不同核团中有不同作用，其在LC中的治疗效果更好。
