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Pituitary ACTH cells in female rats after neonatal treatment with SRIH-14
Verica Milosević1, Natasa Nestorović, Milica Terzić
1Institute for Biological Research, Sinisa Stanković, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Insights
Neonatal treatment with somatostatin-28 (SRIH-14) significantly reduced pituitary ACTH cell volume in rats throughout life. This prolonged inhibitory effect on adrenal corticotropin (ACTH) cells suggests long-term developmental impacts.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Developmental Biology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Neonatal development is crucial for long-term endocrine function.
- Pituitary ACTH cells regulate the stress response.
- The effects of early-life somatostatin (SRIH) on these cells are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prolonged effects of neonatal somatostatin-28 (SRIH-14) treatment on pituitary ACTH cells in female rats.
- To assess the impact of SRIH-14 on ACTH cell morphology and volume density at different life stages.
Main Methods:
- Neonatal female rats received daily SRIH-14 injections from day 3 to 7 of life.
- ACTH cells were analyzed using immunocytochemistry, morphometry, and stereology.
- Evaluations were conducted at juvenile, peripubertal, and adult stages.
Main Results:
- SRIH-14 treatment led to significant decreases in ACTH cell volume at juvenile (26%), peripubertal (39%), and adult (14%) stages.
- A significant reduction in ACTH cell volume density was observed at the juvenile stage (31%).
- While volume density was lower in peripubertal and adult rats, these changes were not statistically significant.
Conclusions:
- Neonatal SRIH-14 administration exerts a lasting inhibitory influence on pituitary ACTH cell morphology.
- These effects persist into adulthood, indicating potential long-term consequences for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
- Early-life somatostatin exposure can alter the development and function of critical endocrine cells.
Abstract:
The prolonged effects of neonatal SRIH-14 treatment on pituitary ACTH cells were investigated. Neonatal female rats were injected subcutaneously with SRIH (20 microg/100g b.w.) every 12 hours for five consecutive days (3rd-7th day of life). Groups of rats were then killed at the juvenile (16th day), peripubertal (38th day) or adult (80th day) stage. ACTH cells were visualized using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase immunocytochemical procedure. Morphometry and stereology were used to evaluate the ACTH-immunoreactive cell volume and volume density. The histological and immunocytochemical characteristics of ACTH cells in neonatally treated females were changed in all examined periods. Thus, SRIH-14 induced significant (p<0.05) decreases of ACTH cell volume in juvenile, peripubertal and adult rats by 26%, 39% and 14%, respectively, in comparison to the corresponding controls. The volume density of ACTH cells was also diminished (by 31%; p<0.05) at the juvenile stage in comparison with the corresponding controls. In peripubertal and adult rats, the volume densities of ACTH cells were somewhat lower (17% and 14%, respectively), but the decreases did not reach statistical significance. These findings suggest that neonatal treatment with SRIH-14 exerts a marked prolonged inhibitory effect on ACTH cell morphology extending to the adult period of life.
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