Injection of 2mg of estradiol valerate (EV) to cycling female rats causes cell death among the hypothalamic beta-endorphin population that results in increased mu-opioid receptor binding in the hypothalamic MPOA. We suspect that the subsequent opioid suppression of the GnRH system is responsible for the constellation of defects that occur in pituitary LH production and release. / In order to determine the mechanisms by which a defective GnRH pattern affects pituitary LH functions, we quantitated LH-beta and alpha mRNA in EV-injected animals using Northern blot analysis. To determine whether estradiol has direct effects at the pituitary level, we studied estradiol implanted (E2) animals that do not have the hypothalamic lesion. In order to observe possible effects on prolactin and FSH (normal plasma levels) we also quantitated them in EV or E2-treated animals. / Our results indicate that LH-beta, but not alpha or FSH-beta RNA are below control levels in both EV and E2 treated animals. Thus estrogen can modulate LH-beta production at both the hypothalamic (EV) and pituitary (E2) levels. Prolactin was sometimes below that of control animals which is surprising since estradiol is a known stimulator of prolactin production.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.68220 |
| Date | January 1993 |
| Creators | McLaren, Julie |
| Contributors | Brawer, James R. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Anatomy.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001397518, proquestno: AAIMM94478, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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