Garcia-Segura L M, Suarez I, Segovia S, Tranque P A, Calés J M, Aguilera P, Olmos G, Guillamón A
Instituto Cajal, C.S.I.C., Madrid, Spain.
Brain Res. 1988 Jul 26;456(2):357-63. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(88)90239-9.
Sex steroids during the perinatal period are able to modify the postnatal development of neurons within steroid-sensitive areas in the rat brain. This study was designed to test the possible influence of the early postnatal levels of sex steroids on the morphology of the astrocytes. The experimental manipulation of the neonatal levels of sex steroids was performed by the androgenization of females with a single injection of testosterone propionate and by the orchidectomy of males on the day of birth. Control females received a single injection of vehicle and control males were sham operated. All the animals were sacrificed at 3 months of age postnatally. The immunohistochemical distribution of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a marker of astrocytic filaments, was studied on coronal sections of the dorsal hippocampus, the globus pallidus and the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. The number of GFAP immunoreactive cells, the number of GFAP immunoreactive primary processes per cell and the surface density of the GFAP immunoreactive material were evaluated. This morphometric evaluation revealed a decreased surface density of GFAP immunoreactive material in the hippocampus, globus pallidus and the ventral part of the arcuate nucleus of orchidectomized males when compared to control males. Sex differences in the distribution of GFAP immunoreactivity were detected in the hippocampus and globus pallidus. These differences were abolished by the androgenization of females. The number of GFAP immunoreactive cells was similar in all the experimental groups, indicating that the differences in surface density represent an effect of sex steroids on the growth of astrocytic processes rather than on the proliferation of astrocytes.
围产期的性类固醇能够改变大鼠脑中类固醇敏感区域内神经元的产后发育。本研究旨在测试产后早期性类固醇水平对星形胶质细胞形态的可能影响。通过给雌性单次注射丙酸睾酮使其雄激素化以及在出生当天对雄性进行睾丸切除术来对新生期性类固醇水平进行实验性操作。对照雌性接受单次注射赋形剂，对照雄性进行假手术。所有动物在出生后3个月时处死。在背侧海马、苍白球和下丘脑弓状核的冠状切片上研究了胶质纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）（一种星形胶质细胞丝的标志物）的免疫组织化学分布。评估了GFAP免疫反应性细胞的数量、每个细胞的GFAP免疫反应性初级突起的数量以及GFAP免疫反应性物质的表面密度。这种形态计量学评估显示，与对照雄性相比，去势雄性的海马、苍白球和弓状核腹侧部分中GFAP免疫反应性物质的表面密度降低。在海马和苍白球中检测到GFAP免疫反应性分布的性别差异。这些差异通过雌性的雄激素化而消除。所有实验组中GFAP免疫反应性细胞的数量相似，这表明表面密度的差异代表了性类固醇对星形胶质细胞突起生长的影响，而不是对星形胶质细胞增殖的影响。
