[An increase in hypothalamic sensitivity to the inhibiting effects of estrogens caused by use of L-DOPA, diphenine, epithalamin and phenformin in old rats].

Biulleten' eksperimental'noi biologii i meditsiny1975PMID: 1218271

Animal StudyEpitalon

Plain Language Summary

Epithalamin restored hypothalamic sensitivity to estrogen's inhibitory effects in old rats, suppressing compensatory ovarian hypertrophy by 65-98% when combined with estrogen treatment. The peptide was effective when administered directly into the brain's third ventricle, suggesting that age-related changes in hypothalamic estrogen sensitivity are functional rather than structural.

Abstract

Daily treatment of hemicastrated young rats with 0.57 mug of stilbestrol inhibited compensatory ovarian hypertrophy (COH) by 48% in the 3-month animals and by 3% only in the 18-month animals. Administration of L-DOPA, dilantin, epithalamin or phenoformin with the same dose of estrogen to old rats suppressed the COH by 65-98%. L-DOPA and epithalamin were effective when administered into the 3rd cerebral ventricle. A functional nature of the age changes in the hypothalamic sensitivity to the estrogen action is suggested.

Authors

Dil'man, V M; Anisimov, V N