Cobbett P, Yang Q Z, Hatton G I
Brain Res Bull. 1987 Mar;18(3):365-70. doi: 10.1016/0361-9230(87)90014-1.
Recently published work in the rat has shown that: the incidence of electrical coupling, as measured by dye coupling, is decreased from control levels by 8 days of drinking hypertonic saline; an index of circulating testosterone, seminal vesicle weight, is also decreased by 8 days of saline drinking; and both plasma and urinary vasopressin levels are reduced in castrated males, but can be returned to normal with testosterone replacement. These findings have led to the hypothesis that dye coupling, particularly that involving vasopressinergic cells, may be affected by gonadal steroids. We have investigated the effects of castration and testosterone replacement on the incidence of dye coupling among the neurons of the predominantly vasopressinergic magnocellular lateral paraventricular nucleus in slices of male rat hypothalamus. Incidence of dye coupling in this nucleus of castrated rats was found to be decreased by 67% from sham castrated control levels. Testosterone-filled Silastic capsules (but not empty capsules) implanted subcutaneously at the time of castration abolished the effect of castration on dye coupling. We conclude that testosterone has a powerful influence upon coupling among PVN vasopressinergic neurons and may participate in the control of vasopressin release in intact animals.
通过染料偶联测量的电偶联发生率，在饮用高渗盐水8天后，较对照水平有所降低；循环睾酮指标、精囊重量，在饮用盐水8天后也有所降低；去势雄性大鼠的血浆和尿中血管加压素水平均降低，但睾酮替代后可恢复正常。这些发现导致了一种假设，即染料偶联，尤其是涉及血管加压素能细胞的偶联，可能受性腺类固醇影响。我们研究了去势和睾酮替代对雄性大鼠下丘脑切片中主要为血管加压素能的大细胞外侧室旁核神经元间染料偶联发生率的影响。发现去势大鼠该核中的染料偶联发生率比假去势对照水平降低了67%。去势时皮下植入填充睾酮的硅橡胶胶囊（而非空胶囊）消除了去势对染料偶联的影响。我们得出结论，睾酮对室旁核血管加压素能神经元间的偶联有强大影响，可能参与完整动物中血管加压素释放的调控。
