Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.
Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.
J Mol Histol. 2022 Apr;53(2):347-356. doi: 10.1007/s10735-022-10069-7. Epub 2022 Feb 25.
Ovarian functions decrease with perimenopause. The ovary has extrinsic innervation, but the neural influence on ovarian functions and dysfunction is not well-studied. The present study aimed to biochemically and morphometrically characterize the intrinsic neurons in ovaries from young adult, middle-aged, and senescent Long Evans CII-ZV rats (3, 12, and 15 months old, respectively). Ovaries were extracted from four rats of each age group (n = 12 total), cryopreserved, and processed for immunofluorescence studies with the primary NeuN/β-tubulin and NeuN/tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) antibodies. The soma area and number of intrinsic neurons in the ovarian stroma, surrounding follicles, corpus luteum, or cyst were evaluated. The intrinsic neurons were grouped in cluster-like shapes in ovarian structures. In senescent rats, the intrinsic neurons were mainly localized in the ovarian stroma and around the cysts. The number of neurons was lower in senescent rats than in young adult rats (p < 0.05), but the soma size was larger than in young adult rats. Immunoreactivity to TH indicated the presence of noradrenergic neurons in the ovary with the same characteristics as NeuN/β-tubulin, which indicates that they are part of the same neuronal group. Taken together, the findings indicate that the intrinsic neurons may be related to the loss of ovarian functions associated with aging.
卵巢功能随着围绝经期而下降。卵巢具有外在的神经支配,但神经对卵巢功能和功能障碍的影响尚未得到充分研究。本研究旨在从年轻成年、中年和衰老的 Long Evans CII-ZV 大鼠(分别为 3、12 和 15 个月大)的卵巢中进行生化和形态计量学特征分析。从每个年龄组的 4 只大鼠中提取卵巢(n = 12 只),进行冷冻保存,并使用 NeuN/β-微管蛋白和 NeuN/酪氨酸羟化酶(TH)抗体进行免疫荧光研究。评估卵巢基质、周围卵泡、黄体或囊肿中固有神经元的体区和数量。固有神经元在卵巢结构中呈聚类样形状分组。在衰老大鼠中,固有神经元主要定位于卵巢基质和囊肿周围。与年轻成年大鼠相比,衰老大鼠的神经元数量较少(p < 0.05),但体区较大。TH 免疫反应表明卵巢中存在去甲肾上腺素能神经元,其与 NeuN/β-微管蛋白具有相同的特征,这表明它们是同一神经元群的一部分。综上所述,这些发现表明,固有神经元可能与衰老相关的卵巢功能丧失有关。