Estrogen regulation of mu-opioid receptor mRNA in the forebrain of female rats. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Previous studies have suggested that opioids play a role in the regulation of reproductive behaviors in the female rat. The present study examined whether estrogen treatment alters mu-opioid receptor mRNA levels in different areas of the forebrain of ovariectomized (OVX) female rats using the in situ hybridization technique. We observed an increase in mu-opioid receptor mRNA levels in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) and arcuate nucleus (ARN) after 48 h of 10 microg of 17-beta-estradiol-3-benzoate treatment when compared to OVX females. No effects of estrogen were observed on mu-opioid receptor mRNA levels in the posterior medial nucleus of the amygdala (MeAmyg), hippocampus, caudate-putamen (CPu) or the medial habenula. Our result suggests that the estrogenic regulation of mu-opioid receptor in the CNS may in part be mediated by de novo synthesis and/or stability of the mu-opioid receptor message.

publication date

  • July 1, 1997

Research

keywords

  • Estrogens
  • Prosencephalon
  • Receptors, Opioid, mu

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0343307083

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/s0169-328x(97)00041-7

PubMed ID

  • 9221910

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 47

issue

  • 1-2