Tsuruo Y, Ishimura K, Hayashi S, Osawa Y
Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Tokushima, Japan.
Anat Embryol (Berl). 1996 Feb;193(2):115-21. doi: 10.1007/BF00214702.
We elucidated the anatomical relationship between estrogen receptors and aromatase, the enzyme converting androgens to estrogens, in the fetal and neonatal rat brain by means of double immunohistochemical labeling, using antibodies against rat estrogen receptors and human placental aromatase cytochrome P450. Numerous aromatase-immunoreactive neurons were found in the medial preoptic area, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the medial amygdaloid nucleus and the ventromedial nucleus. Estrogen receptors were also abundant in these areas. Most of the aromatase-immunoreactive neurons showed immunoreactivity for estrogen receptors in the medial subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and in the posterodorsal, division of the medial amygdaloid nucleus. There were also many double-labeled cells in the ventromedial nucleus. However, in the medial preoptic area the localization of aromatase-immunoreactive neurons was distinct from that of neurons containing estrogen receptors. These results suggested that estrogens, which are converted from androgens in aromatase-containing neurons, are involved in the sexual differentiation of the brain through estrogen receptors within aromatase-immunoreactive neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the medial amygdaloid nucleus and the ventromedial nucleus, but through estrogen receptors in aromatase-immunonegative neurons in the medial preoptic area.
我们通过双重免疫组织化学标记法，利用抗大鼠雌激素受体和人胎盘芳香化酶细胞色素P450的抗体，阐明了胎鼠和新生鼠大脑中雌激素受体与芳香化酶（将雄激素转化为雌激素的酶）之间的解剖学关系。在内侧视前区、终纹床核、杏仁内侧核和腹内侧核中发现了大量芳香化酶免疫反应性神经元。这些区域的雌激素受体也很丰富。在终纹床核内侧亚区和杏仁内侧核后背部，大多数芳香化酶免疫反应性神经元显示出雌激素受体免疫反应性。腹内侧核中也有许多双标记细胞。然而，在内侧视前区，芳香化酶免疫反应性神经元的定位与含雌激素受体的神经元不同。这些结果表明，在含芳香化酶的神经元中由雄激素转化而来的雌激素，通过终纹床核、杏仁内侧核和腹内侧核中芳香化酶免疫反应性神经元内的雌激素受体，参与大脑的性别分化，但在内侧视前区是通过芳香化酶免疫阴性神经元中的雌激素受体参与的。
