RESUMO
Nitric oxide (NO) has emerged as an important intra-ovarian regulatory factor. We investigated effects of low dose capsaicin (CAP) treatment on the different NOS isoforms in prepubertal rat ovaries. Fifteen 21-day-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into three groups. The first group received no treatment, the second group received 0.5 mg/kg/day CAP dissolved in the vehicle, and the third group was treated with the vehicle only. The animals were euthanized by ether inhalation after 15 days and their ovaries were excised. Ovaries were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin and embedded in paraffin. Sections were processed for standard immunohistochemistry using the labeled streptavidin-biotin technique for expression of nNOS, eNOS and iNOS. We demonstrated that CAP induced expression of NOS isotypes including eNOS, iNOS and nNOS in prepubertal rat ovaries. CAP may lead to release of NO either directly from nerves or indirectly by evoking release from other cells via the action of neuropeptides that are released from afferent terminals and are involved in regulating female reproductive function.
Assuntos
Capsaicina/farmacologia , Óxido Nítrico Sintase/metabolismo , Ovário/efeitos dos fármacos , Ovário/enzimologia , Animais , Capsaicina/administração & dosagem , Feminino , Imuno-Histoquímica , Terminações Nervosas/efeitos dos fármacos , Neurônios Aferentes/efeitos dos fármacos , Óxido Nítrico Sintase Tipo I/metabolismo , Óxido Nítrico Sintase Tipo II/metabolismo , Óxido Nítrico Sintase Tipo III/metabolismo , Ovário/anatomia & histologia , Ovário/inervação , Ratos , Ratos Sprague-DawleyRESUMO
We examined age-related changes in the expression of transforming growth factor-ß(1) (TGF-ß(1)) and transforming growth factor-ß(2) in mouse testes. The mice were assigned to three age groups: 35, 50, and 75 days old. Paraffin embedded testis sections were processed for the standard streptavidin biotin peroxidase complex immunohistochemistry method. TGF-ß(1) expression increased in aging round spermatids over the time studied. There was no expression in 35-day-old Leydig cells, whereas strong expression of TGF-ß(1) was observed in 50-day-old Leydig cells. Expression decreased in 75-day-old Leydig cells. TGF-ß(2) expression was weak in 35- and 50-day-old mouse spermatids, but expression was greater in 75-day-old elongated spermatids. In Leydig cells, TGF-ß(2) expression was strong in both 35- and 50-day-old mice, whereas the expression of TGF-ß(2) was less in 75-day-old Leydig cells. Our results suggest that TGF-ß(1) and TGF-ß(2) may play significant roles in testicular functions and germ cell development in mice.