Imprinting estrogenico : efeito sobre a expressão do receptor de androgeno no hipotalamo de ratos Wistar / Effects of estrogenic imprinting on the androgen receptor expression in the hypothalamus of Wistar rats

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2008

RESUMO

In male rats, complete reproductive function is critically dependent on adequate estrogen action at different levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. The administration of high doses during the period of sexual differentiation results in irreversible alterati ns in the male reproductive system. In brief, the estrogens have anti-androgenic effects t. ey act in the hypothalamus-pituitary-testes axis, reducing the testosterone production by the testes. The administration of estrogen in critical periods of development promotes a mechanism known as estrogen imprinting. This phenomenon is extremely important, because it can be started by the exposure of the neonate to several estrogen-like substances with estrogen characteristics, and not only to estrogen. One of the estrogenic imprinting effects caused by high doses of estrogen is the negative regulation of the expression of androgen receptors (ARs) in the prostate and reduced responses to androgen exposure that seems to alter the male behavior. This study investigated the participation of estrogen and it influence on the ARs in the hypothalamus of Wistar rats afier estrogen imprinting. For this, male rats were treated in the early neonatal period with 17pestradiol (E2) three doses of 15mg/kg and compared with control rats (only treated with com oil) and with not treated females, and the effects were analyzed in the adulthood. The AR distribution pattem was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, the total content of the AR by Westem blotting and it s mRNA by RT-PCR in the hypothalamus oftreated animaIs. The neonatal estrogenization promoted decrease of expression oftne AR and its mRNA. Also revealed that the AR distribution, pattem at the ventromedial, anterior medial preoptic and paraventricular nuclei and preoptic area were altered and with a pattem close to not treated females. Therefore, our data indicate that estrogen is able to induce estrogen imprint in the hypothalamus and to alter the AR expression and possibly affecting the sexual behavior.

ASSUNTO(S)

imprinting estrogenico sexual differentiation hypothalamus androgen receptor receptores de androgenos diferenciação sexual hipotalamo estrogen imprinting

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