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Zuloaga DG, Lafrican JJ, Zuloaga KL. Androgen regulation of behavioral stress responses and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Horm Behav 2024; 162:105528. [PMID: 38503191 PMCID: PMC11144109 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Testosterone is a powerful steroid hormone that can impact the brain and behavior in various ways, including regulating behavioral and neuroendocrine (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis) stress responses. Early in life androgens can act to alter development of brain regions associated with stress regulation, which ultimately impacts the display of stress responses later in life. Adult circulating androgens can also influence the expression of distinct genes and proteins that regulate stress responses. These changes in the brain are hypothesized to underlie the potent effects of androgens in regulating behaviors related to stress and stress-induced activation of the HPA axis. Androgens can induce alterations in these functions through direct binding to the androgen receptor (AR) or following conversion to estrogens and subsequent binding to estrogen receptors including estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), beta (ERβ), and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1). In this review, we focus on the role of androgens in regulating behavioral and neuroendocrine stress responses at different stages of the lifespan and the sex hormone receptors involved in regulating these effects. We also review the specific brain regions and cell phenotypes upon which androgens are proposed to act to regulate stress responses with an emphasis on hypothalamic and extended amygdala subregions. This knowledge of androgen effects on these neural systems is critical for understanding how sex hormones regulate stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian G Zuloaga
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA.
| | | | - Kristen L Zuloaga
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA
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2
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Zhang S, Zhang YD, Shi DD, Wang Z. Therapeutic uses of oxytocin in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:216. [PMID: 38017588 PMCID: PMC10683256 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01173-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT), produced and secreted in the paraventricular nucleus and supraoptic nucleus of magnocellular and parvocellular neurons. The diverse presence and activity of oxytocin suggests a potential for this neuropeptide in the pathogenesis and treatment of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders (anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)). For a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of OXT's anti-stress action, the signaling cascade of OXT binding to targeting stress were summarized. Then the advance of OXT treatment in depression, anxiety, PTSD and the major projection region of OXT neuron were discussed. Further, the efficacy of endogenous and exogenous OXT in stress responses were highlighted in this review. To augment the level of OXT in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders, current biological strategies were summarized to shed a light on the treatment of stress-induced psychiatric disorders. We also conclude some of the major puzzles in the therapeutic uses of OXT in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Although some questions remain to be resolved, OXT has an enormous potential therapeutic use as a hormone that regulates stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Zhang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying-Dan Zhang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Dong-Dong Shi
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhen Wang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
- Institute of Psychological and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
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3
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Power EM, Ganeshan D, Iremonger KJ. Estradiol regulates voltage-gated potassium currents in corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:287072. [PMID: 36805713 PMCID: PMC10038157 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons are the primary neural population controlling the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the secretion of adrenal stress hormones. Previous work has demonstrated that stress hormone secretion can be regulated by circulating levels of estradiol. However, the effect of estradiol on CRH neuron excitability is less clear. Here, we show that chronic estradiol replacement following ovariectomy increases two types of potassium channel currents in CRH neurons: fast inactivating voltage-gated A-type K+ channel currents (IA) and non-inactivating M-type K+ channel currents (IM). Despite the increase in K+ currents following estradiol replacement, there was no overall change in CRH neuron spiking excitability assessed with either frequency-current curves or current ramps. Together, these data reveal a complex picture whereby ovariectomy and estradiol replacement differentially modulate distinct aspects of CRH neuron and HPA axis function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmet M Power
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin9016, New Zealand
| | - Dharshini Ganeshan
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin9016, New Zealand
| | - Karl J Iremonger
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin9016, New Zealand
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4
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Coenjaerts M, Trimborn I, Adrovic B, Stoffel-Wagner B, Cahill L, Philipsen A, Hurlemann R, Scheele D. Exogenous estradiol and oxytocin modulate sex differences in hippocampal reactivity during the encoding of episodic memories. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119689. [PMID: 36349596 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Considerable evidence supports sex differences in episodic memory. The hormones estradiol and oxytocin both affect episodic memory and may contribute to these sex differences, but possible underlying hormonal interactions have not been tested in a sample involving both sexes. To this end, we conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study including healthy free-cycling women (n = 111) and men (n = 115). The fMRI session was conducted under four experimental conditions: 1. transdermal estradiol (2 mg) and intranasal oxytocin (24 IU), 2. transdermal placebo and intranasal oxytocin, 3. transdermal estradiol and intranasal placebo, 4. transdermal placebo and intranasal placebo. Participants were scanned during the encoding of positive, neutral, and negative scenes. Recognition memory was tested three days following the scanning sessions without additional treatments. Under placebo, women showed a significantly better recognition memory and increased hippocampal responses to subsequently remembered items independent of the emotional valence compared to men. The separate treatments with either hormone significantly diminished this mnemonic sex difference and reversed the hippocampal activation pattern. However, the combined treatments produced no significant effect. Collectively, the results suggest that both hormones play a crucial role in modulating sex differences in episodic memory. Furthermore, possible antagonistic interactions between estradiol and oxytocin could explain previously observed opposing hormonal effects in women and men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Coenjaerts
- Division of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn 53105, Germany.
| | - Isabelle Trimborn
- Division of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn 53105, Germany
| | - Berina Adrovic
- Division of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn 53105, Germany
| | - Birgit Stoffel-Wagner
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn, Bonn 53105, Germany
| | - Larry Cahill
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3800, United States
| | - Alexandra Philipsen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn 53105, Germany
| | - René Hurlemann
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany; Research Center Neurosensory Science, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany
| | - Dirk Scheele
- Department of Social Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum 44780, Germany.
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5
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Nanobody-based RFP-dependent Cre recombinase for selective anterograde tracing in RFP-expressing transgenic animals. Commun Biol 2022; 5:979. [PMID: 36114373 PMCID: PMC9481622 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03944-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractTransgenic animals expressing fluorescent proteins are widely used to label specific cells and proteins. By using a split Cre recombinase fused with mCherry-binding nanobodies or designed ankyrin repeat proteins, we created Cre recombinase dependent on red fluorescent protein (RFP) (Cre-DOR). Functional binding units for monomeric RFPs are different from those for polymeric RFPs. We confirmed selective target RFP-dependent gene expression in the mouse cerebral cortex using stereotaxic injection of adeno-associated virus vectors. In estrogen receptor-beta (Esr2)-mRFP1 mice and gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (Grpr)-mRFP1 rats, we confirmed that Cre-DOR can be used for selective tracing of the neural projection from RFP-expressing specific neurons. Cellular localization of RFPs affects recombination efficiency of Cre-DOR, and light and chemical-induced nuclear translocation of an RFP-fused protein can modulate Cre-DOR efficiency. Our results provide a method for manipulating gene expression in specific cells expressing RFPs and expand the repertory of nanobody-based genetic tools.
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Paletta P, Bass N, Aspesi D, Choleris E. Sex Differences in Social Cognition. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2022; 62:207-234. [PMID: 35604571 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
In this review we explore the sex differences underlying various types of social cognition. Particular focus will be placed on the behaviors of social recognition, social learning, and aggression. Known similarities and differences between sexes in the expressions of these behaviors and the known brain regions where these behaviors are mediated are discussed. The role that the sex hormones (estrogens and androgens) have as well as possible interactions with other neurochemicals, such as oxytocin, vasopressin, and serotonin is reviewed as well. Finally, implications about these findings on the mediation of social cognition are mediated and the sex differences related to humans are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Paletta
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Noah Bass
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Dario Aspesi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
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7
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Grassi D, Marraudino M, Garcia-Segura LM, Panzica GC. The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus as a central hub for the estrogenic modulation of neuroendocrine function and behavior. Front Neuroendocrinol 2022; 65:100974. [PMID: 34995643 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Estradiol and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) help coordinate reproduction with body physiology, growth and metabolism. PVN integrates hormonal and neural signals originating in the periphery, generating an output mediated both by its long-distance neuronal projections, and by a variety of neurohormones produced by its magnocellular and parvocellular neurosecretory cells. Here we review the cyto-and chemo-architecture, the connectivity and function of PVN and the sex-specific regulation exerted by estradiol on PVN neurons and on the expression of neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, neuropeptides and neurohormones in PVN. Classical and non-classical estrogen receptors (ERs) are expressed in neuronal afferents to PVN and in specific PVN interneurons, projecting neurons, neurosecretory neurons and glial cells that are involved in the input-output integration and coordination of neurohormonal signals. Indeed, PVN ERs are known to modulate body homeostatic processes such as autonomic functions, stress response, reproduction, and metabolic control. Finally, the functional implications of the estrogenic modulation of the PVN for body homeostasis are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Grassi
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - M Marraudino
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, Torino, Italy
| | - L M Garcia-Segura
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - G C Panzica
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, Torino, Italy; Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
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8
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Aspesi D, Choleris E. Neuroendocrine underpinning of social recognition in males and females. J Neuroendocrinol 2022; 34:e13070. [PMID: 34927288 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Social recognition is an essential skill for the expression of appropriate behaviors towards conspecifics in most social species. Several studies point to oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) as key mediators of social recognition in males and females. However, sex differences in social cognitive behaviors highlight an important interplay between OT, AVP and the sex steroids. Estrogens facilitate social recognition by regulating OT action in the hypothalamus and that of OT receptor in the medial amygdala. The role of OT in these brain regions appears to be essential for social recognition in both males and females. Conversely, social recognition in male rats and mice is more dependent on AVP release in the lateral septum than in females. The AVP system comprises a series of highly sexually dimorphic brain nuclei, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the amygdala and the lateral septum. Various studies suggest that testosterone and its metabolites, including estradiol, influence social recognition in males by modulating the activity of the AVP at V1a receptor. Intriguingly, both estrogens and androgens can affect social recognition very rapidly, through non-genomic mechanisms. In addition, the androgen metabolites, namely 3α-diol and 3β-diol, may also have an impact on social behaviors either by interacting with the estrogen receptors or through other mechanisms. Overall, the regulation of OT and AVP by sex steroids fine tunes social recognition and the behaviors that depend upon it (e.g., social bond, hierarchical organization, aggression) in a sex-dependent manner. Elucidating the sex-dependent interaction between sex steroids and neuroendocrine systems is essential for understanding sex differences in the normal and abnormal expression of social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Aspesi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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Thambirajah AA, Wade MG, Verreault J, Buisine N, Alves VA, Langlois VS, Helbing CC. Disruption by stealth - Interference of endocrine disrupting chemicals on hormonal crosstalk with thyroid axis function in humans and other animals. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 203:111906. [PMID: 34418447 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Thyroid hormones (THs) are important regulators of growth, development, and homeostasis of all vertebrates. There are many environmental contaminants that are known to disrupt TH action, yet their mechanisms are only partially understood. While the effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) are mostly studied as "hormone system silos", the present critical review highlights the complexity of EDCs interfering with TH function through their interactions with other hormonal axes involved in reproduction, stress, and energy metabolism. The impact of EDCs on components that are shared between hormone signaling pathways or intersect between pathways can thus extend beyond the molecular ramifications to cellular, physiological, behavioral, and whole-body consequences for exposed organisms. The comparatively more extensive studies conducted in mammalian models provides encouraging support for expanded investigation and highlight the paucity of data generated in other non-mammalian vertebrate classes. As greater genomics-based resources become available across vertebrate classes, better identification and delineation of EDC effects, modes of action, and identification of effective biomarkers suitable for HPT disruption is possible. EDC-derived effects are likely to cascade into a plurality of physiological effects far more complex than the few variables tested within any research studies. The field should move towards understanding a system of hormonal systems' interactions rather than maintaining hormone system silos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita A Thambirajah
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Michael G Wade
- Environmental Health Science & Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Jonathan Verreault
- Centre de Recherche en Toxicologie de l'environnement (TOXEN), Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Nicolas Buisine
- UMR7221 Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Verônica A Alves
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de La Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Québec City, QC, G1K 9A9, Canada
| | - Valerie S Langlois
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de La Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Québec City, QC, G1K 9A9, Canada
| | - Caren C Helbing
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada.
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Phumsatitpong C, Wagenmaker ER, Moenter SM. Neuroendocrine interactions of the stress and reproductive axes. Front Neuroendocrinol 2021; 63:100928. [PMID: 34171353 PMCID: PMC8605987 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Reproduction is controlled by a sequential regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. The HPG axis integrates multiple inputs to maintain proper reproductive functions. It has long been demonstrated that stress alters fertility. Nonetheless, the central mechanisms of how stress interacts with the reproductive system are not fully understood. One of the major pathways that is activated during the stress response is the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In this review, we discuss several aspects of the interactions between these two neuroendocrine systems to offer insights to mechanisms of how the HPA and HPG axes interact. We have also included discussions of other systems, for example GABA-producing neurons, where they are informative to the overall picture of stress effects on reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chayarndorn Phumsatitpong
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Elizabeth R Wagenmaker
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Suzanne M Moenter
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
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11
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Zuloaga DG, Heck AL, De Guzman RM, Handa RJ. Roles for androgens in mediating the sex differences of neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses. Biol Sex Differ 2020; 11:44. [PMID: 32727567 PMCID: PMC7388454 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-020-00319-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Estradiol and testosterone are powerful steroid hormones that impact brain function in numerous ways. During development, these hormones can act to program the adult brain in a male or female direction. During adulthood, gonadal steroid hormones can activate or inhibit brain regions to modulate adult functions. Sex differences in behavioral and neuroendocrine (i.e., hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis) responses to stress arise as a result of these organizational and activational actions. The sex differences that are present in the HPA and behavioral responses to stress are particularly important considering their role in maintaining homeostasis. Furthermore, dysregulation of these systems can underlie the sex biases in risk for complex, stress-related diseases that are found in humans. Although many studies have explored the role of estrogen and estrogen receptors in mediating sex differences in stress-related behaviors and HPA function, much less consideration has been given to the role of androgens. While circulating androgens can act by binding and activating androgen receptors, they can also act by metabolism to estrogenic molecules to impact estrogen signaling in the brain and periphery. This review focuses on androgens as an important hormone for modulating the HPA axis and behaviors throughout life and for setting up sex differences in key stress regulatory systems that could impact risk for disease in adulthood. In particular, impacts of androgens on neuropeptide systems known to play key roles in HPA and behavioral responses to stress (corticotropin-releasing factor, vasopressin, and oxytocin) are discussed. A greater knowledge of androgen action in the brain is key to understanding the neurobiology of stress in both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashley L Heck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
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12
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Balapattabi K, Little JT, Bachelor ME, Cunningham RL, Cunningham JT. Sex Differences in the Regulation of Vasopressin and Oxytocin Secretion in Bile Duct-Ligated Rats. Neuroendocrinology 2020; 111:237-248. [PMID: 32335554 PMCID: PMC7584765 DOI: 10.1159/000508104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hyponatremia due to elevated arginine vasopressin (AVP) secretion increases mortality in liver failure patients. No previous studies have addressed sex differences in hyponatremia in liver failure animal models. OBJECTIVE This study addressed this gap in our understanding of the potential sex differences in hyponatremia associated with increased AVP secretion. METHODS This study tested the role of sex in the development of hyponatremia using adult male, female, and ovariectomized (OVX) female bile duct-ligated (BDL) rats. RESULTS All BDL rats had significantly increased liver to body weight ratios compared to sham controls. Male BDL rats had hyponatremia with significant increases in plasma copeptin and FosB expression in supraoptic AVP neurons compared to male shams (all p < 0.05; 5-7). Female BDL rats did not become hyponatremic or demonstrate increased supraoptic AVP neuron activation and copeptin secretion compared to female shams. Plasma oxytocin was significantly higher in female BDL rats compared to female sham (p < 0.05; 6-10). This increase was not observed in male BDL rats. Ovariectomy significantly decreased plasma estradiol in sham rats compared to intact female sham (p < 0.05; 6-10). However, circulating estradiol was significantly elevated in OVX BDL rats compared to the OVX and female shams (p < 0.05; 6-10). Adrenal estradiol, testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were measured to identify a possible source of circulating estradiol in OVX BDL rats. The OVX BDL rats had significantly increased adrenal estradiol along with significantly decreased adrenal testosterone and DHEA compared to OVX shams (all p < 0.05; 6-7). Plasma osmolality, hematocrit, copeptin, and AVP neuron activation were not significantly different between OVX BDL and OVX shams. Plasma oxytocin was significantly higher in OVX BDL rats compared to OVX sham. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that unlike male BDL rats, female and OVX BDL rats did not develop hyponatremia, supraoptic AVP neuron activation, or increased copeptin secretion compared to female shams. Adrenal estradiol might have compensated for the lack of ovarian estrogens in OVX BDL rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirthikaa Balapattabi
- Department of Physiology and Anatomy, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Joel T Little
- Department of Physiology and Anatomy, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Martha E Bachelor
- Department of Physiology and Anatomy, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Rebecca L Cunningham
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - J Thomas Cunningham
- Department of Physiology and Anatomy, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, USA,
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13
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Hamidovic A, Karapetyan K, Serdarevic F, Choi SH, Eisenlohr-Moul T, Pinna G. Higher Circulating Cortisol in the Follicular vs. Luteal Phase of the Menstrual Cycle: A Meta-Analysis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:311. [PMID: 32582024 PMCID: PMC7280552 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Although results of animal research show that interactions between stress and sex hormones are implicated in the development of affective disorders in women, translation of these findings to patients has been scarce. As a basic step toward advancing this field of research, we analyzed findings of studies which reported circulating cortisol levels in healthy women in the follicular vs. luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. We deemed this analysis critical not only to advance our understanding of basic physiology, but also as an important contrast to the findings of future studies evaluating stress and sex hormones in women with affective disorders. We hypothesized that cortisol levels would be lower in the follicular phase based on the proposition that changes in levels of potent GABAergic neurosteroids, including allopregnanolone, during the menstrual cycle dynamically change in the opposite direction relative to cortisol levels. Implementing strict inclusion criteria, we compiled results of high-quality studies involving 778 study participants to derive a standardized mean difference between circulating cortisol levels in the follicular vs. luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. In line with our hypothesis, our meta-analysis found that women in the follicular phase had higher cortisol levels than women in the luteal phase, with an overall Hedges' g of 0.13 (p < 0.01) for the random effects model. No significant between-study difference was detected, with the level of heterogeneity in the small range. Furthermore, there was no evidence of publication bias. As cortisol regulation is a delicate process, we review some of the basic mechanisms by which progesterone, its potent metabolites, and estradiol regulate cortisol output and circulation to contribute to the net effect of higher cortisol in the follicular phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajna Hamidovic
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- *Correspondence: Ajna Hamidovic
| | - Kristina Karapetyan
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Fadila Serdarevic
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - So Hee Choi
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Tory Eisenlohr-Moul
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Graziano Pinna
- The Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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Neurochemical Characterization of Neurons Expressing Estrogen Receptor β in the Hypothalamic Nuclei of Rats Using in Situ Hybridization and Immunofluorescence. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 21:ijms21010115. [PMID: 31877966 PMCID: PMC6981915 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21010115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogens play an essential role in multiple physiological functions in the brain, including reproductive neuroendocrine, learning and memory, and anxiety-related behaviors. To determine these estrogen functions, many studies have tried to characterize neurons expressing estrogen receptors known as ERα and ERβ. However, the characteristics of ERβ-expressing neurons in the rat brain still remain poorly understood compared to that of ERα-expressing neurons. The main aim of this study is to determine the neurochemical characteristics of ERβ-expressing neurons in the rat hypothalamus using RNAscope in situ hybridization (ISH) combined with immunofluorescence. Strong Esr2 signals were observed especially in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV), bed nucleus of stria terminalis, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), supraoptic nucleus, and medial amygdala, as previously reported. RNAscope ISH with immunofluorescence revealed that more than half of kisspeptin neurons in female AVPV expressed Esr2, whereas few kisspeptin neurons were found to co-express Esr2 in the arcuate nucleus. In the PVN, we observed a high ratio of Esr2 co-expression in arginine-vasopressin neurons and a low ratio in oxytocin and corticotropin-releasing factor neurons. The detailed neurochemical characteristics of ERβ-expressing neurons identified in the current study can be very essential to understand the estrogen signaling via ERβ.
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Arrieta-Cruz I, Librado-Osorio R, Flores A, Mendoza-Garcés L, Chavira R, Cárdenas M, Gutiérrez-Juárez R, Domínguez R, Cruz ME. Estrogen Receptors Alpha and Beta in POA-AHA Region Regulate Asymmetrically Ovulation. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2019; 39:1139-1149. [PMID: 31250245 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-019-00708-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We examined the role of the estrogen receptors alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ) in of the preoptic-anterior hypothalamic area (POA-AHA) in the regulation of ovulation in rats. The number of ERα- and ERβ-immunoreactive (-ir) cells was determined at 09:00, 13:00, and 17:00 h of each stage of the estrous cycle in intact rats. Additionally, the effects of blocking ERα and ERβ on ovulation rate at 09:00 h on diestrus-2 or proestrus day through the microinjection of methyl-piperidino-pyrazole (MPP) or cyclofenil in either side of POA-AHA were evaluated. The number of ERα-ir and ERβ-ir cells in POA-AHA varied in each phase of estrous cycle. Either MPP or cyclofenil in the right side of POA-AHA on diestrus-2 day reduced the ovulation rate, while at proestrus day it was decreased in rats treated in either side with MPP, and in those treated with cyclofenil in the left side. MPP or cyclofenil produced a decrease in the surge of luteinizing hormone levels (LH) and an increase in progesterone and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Replacement with synthetic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone in non-ovulating rats treated with MPP or cyclofenil restored ovulation. These results suggest that activation of estrogen receptors on the morning of diestrus-2 and proestrus day asymmetrically regulates ovulation and appropriately regulates the secretion of FSH and progesterone in the morning and afternoon of proestrus day. This ensures that both, the preovulatory secretion of LH and ovulation, occur at the right time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Arrieta-Cruz
- Department of Basic Research, National Institute of Geriatrics. Ministry of Health, Periférico Sur no. 2767, Col. San Jerónimo Lídice, La Magdalena Contreras, C.P. 10200, Ciudad De México, Mexico.
| | - Raúl Librado-Osorio
- Department of Basic Research, National Institute of Geriatrics. Ministry of Health, Periférico Sur no. 2767, Col. San Jerónimo Lídice, La Magdalena Contreras, C.P. 10200, Ciudad De México, Mexico
| | - Angélica Flores
- Reproductive Biology Research Unit, Neuroendocrinology Laboratory, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, UNAM, Col. Ejército de Oriente, Campus II, Batalla 5 de mayo s/n esquina, Iztapalapa, Fuerte De Loreto, C.P 09230, Mexico
| | - Luciano Mendoza-Garcés
- Department of Basic Research, National Institute of Geriatrics. Ministry of Health, Periférico Sur no. 2767, Col. San Jerónimo Lídice, La Magdalena Contreras, C.P. 10200, Ciudad De México, Mexico
| | - Roberto Chavira
- Department of Reproductive Biology, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán, Ministry of Health, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Mario Cárdenas
- Department of Reproductive Biology, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán, Ministry of Health, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Roger Gutiérrez-Juárez
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Roberto Domínguez
- Reproductive Biology Research Unit, Neuroendocrinology Laboratory, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, UNAM, Col. Ejército de Oriente, Campus II, Batalla 5 de mayo s/n esquina, Iztapalapa, Fuerte De Loreto, C.P 09230, Mexico
| | - María-Esther Cruz
- Reproductive Biology Research Unit, Neuroendocrinology Laboratory, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, UNAM, Col. Ejército de Oriente, Campus II, Batalla 5 de mayo s/n esquina, Iztapalapa, Fuerte De Loreto, C.P 09230, Mexico.
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16
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Lagunas N, Marraudino M, de Amorim M, Pinos H, Collado P, Panzica G, Garcia-Segura LM, Grassi D. Estrogen receptor beta and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 are involved in the acute estrogenic regulation of arginine-vasopressin immunoreactive levels in the supraoptic and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei of female rats. Brain Res 2019; 1712:93-100. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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17
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Goldstein JM, Hale T, Foster SL, Tobet SA, Handa RJ. Sex differences in major depression and comorbidity of cardiometabolic disorders: impact of prenatal stress and immune exposures. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:59-70. [PMID: 30030541 PMCID: PMC6235859 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0146-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder topped ischemic heart disease as the number one cause of disability worldwide in 2012, and women have twice the risk of men. Further, the comorbidity of depression and cardiometabolic disorders will be one of the primary causes of disability worldwide by 2020, with women at twice the risk. Thus, understanding the sex-dependent comorbidities has public health consequences worldwide. We propose here that sex differences in MDD-cardiometabolic comorbidity originate, in part, from pathogenic processes initiated in fetal development that involve sex differences in shared pathophysiology between the brain, the vascular system, the CNS control of the heart and associated hormonal, immune, and metabolic physiology. Pathways implicate neurotrophic and angiogenic growth factors, gonadal hormone receptors, and neurotransmitters such as gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) on neuronal and vascular development of HPA axis regions, such as the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), in addition to blood pressure, in part through the renin-angiotensin system, and insulin and glucose metabolism. We show that the same prenatal exposures have consequences for sex differences across multiple organ systems that, in part, share common pathophysiology. Thus, we believe that applying a sex differences lens to understanding shared biologic substrates underlying these comorbidities will provide novel insights into the development of sex-dependent therapeutics. Further, taking a lifespan perspective beginning in fetal development provides the opportunity to target abnormalities early in the natural history of these disorders in a sex-dependent way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill M Goldstein
- Departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA, 02120, USA.
- Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Taben Hale
- Department of Basic Medical Science, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
| | - Simmie L Foster
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stuart A Tobet
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Science, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
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18
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Paletta P, Sheppard PAS, Matta R, Ervin KSJ, Choleris E. Rapid effects of estrogens on short-term memory: Possible mechanisms. Horm Behav 2018; 104:88-99. [PMID: 29847771 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Contribution to Special Issue on Fast effects of steroids. Estrogens affect learning and memory through rapid and delayed mechanisms. Here we review studies on rapid effects on short-term memory. Estradiol rapidly improves social and object recognition memory, spatial memory, and social learning when administered systemically. The dorsal hippocampus mediates estrogen rapid facilitation of object, social and spatial short-term memory. The medial amygdala mediates rapid facilitation of social recognition. The three estrogen receptors, α (ERα), β (ERβ) and the G-protein coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) appear to play different roles depending on the task and brain region. Both ERα and GPER agonists rapidly facilitate short-term social and object recognition and spatial memory when administered systemically or into the dorsal hippocampus and facilitate social recognition in the medial amygdala. Conversely, only GPER can facilitate social learning after systemic treatment and an ERβ agonist only rapidly improved short-term spatial memory when given systemically or into the hippocampus, but also facilitates social recognition in the medial amygdala. Investigations into the mechanisms behind estrogens' rapid effects on short term memory showed an involvement of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) kinase pathways. Recent evidence also showed that estrogens interact with the neuropeptide oxytocin in rapidly facilitating social recognition. Estrogens can increase the production and/or release of oxytocin and other neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and acetylcholine. Therefore, it is possible that estrogens' rapid effects on short-term memory may occur through the regulation of various neurotransmitters, although more research is need on these interactions as well as the mechanisms of estrogens' actions on short-term memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Paletta
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Paul A S Sheppard
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Richard Matta
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Kelsy S J Ervin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
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Borrow AP, Bales NJ, Stover SA, Handa RJ. Chronic Variable Stress Induces Sex-Specific Alterations in Social Behavior and Neuropeptide Expression in the Mouse. Endocrinology 2018; 159:2803-2814. [PMID: 29788320 PMCID: PMC6692887 DOI: 10.1210/en.2018-00217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Chronic exposure to stressors impairs the function of multiple organ systems and has been implicated in increased disease risk. In the rodent, the chronic variable stress (CVS) paradigm has successfully modeled several stress-related illnesses. Despite striking disparities between men and women in the prevalence and etiology of disorders associated with chronic stress, most preclinical research examining chronic stressor exposure has focused on male subjects. One potential mediator of the consequences of CVS is oxytocin (OT), a known regulator of stress neurocircuitry and behavior. To ascertain the sex-specific effects of CVS in the C57BL/6 mouse on OT and the structurally similar neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP), the numbers of immunoreactive and mRNA-containing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) were determined using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, respectively. In addition, the mice underwent a battery of behavioral tests to determine whether CVS affects social behaviors known to be regulated by OT and AVP. Six weeks of CVS increased sociability in the female mouse and decreased PVN OT immunoreactivity (ir) and AVP mRNA. In the male mice, CVS decreased PVN OT mRNA but had no effect on social behavior, AVP, or OT-ir. CVS also increased the soma volume for PVN OT neurons. In contrast, OT and AVP neurons in the SON were unaffected by CVS treatment. These findings demonstrate clear sex differences in the effects of CVS on neuropeptides in the mouse, suggest a pathway through which CVS alters sociability and stress-coping responses in females and reveals a vulnerability to CVS in the C57BL/6 mouse strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda P Borrow
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Natalie J Bales
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Sally A Stover
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Correspondence: Robert J. Handa, PhD, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, 1617 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523. E-mail:
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20
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Abstract
Biosynthesis and secretion of the hypothalamic nonapeptide oxytocin largely depends on steroid hormones. Estradiol, corticosterone, and vitamin D seem to be the most prominent actors. Due to their lipophilic nature, systemic steroids are thought to be capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, thus mediating central functions including neuroendocrine and behavioral control. The actual mode of action of steroids in hypothalamic circuitry is still unknown: Most of the oxytocinergic perikarya lack nuclear steroid receptors but express proteins suspected to be membrane receptors for steroids. Oxytocin expressing neurons contain enzymes important for intrinsic steroid metabolism. Furthermore, they produce and probably liberate specific steroid-binding globulins. Rapid responses to steroid hormones may involve these binding proteins and membrane-associated receptors, rather than classic nuclear receptors and genomic pathways. Neuroendocrine regulation, reproductive behaviors, and stress response seem to depend on these mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Scott D Ochs
- Dept. of Pharmacology, Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Spartanburg, SC, USA
| | - Jack D Caldwell
- Dept. of Pharmacology, Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Spartanburg, SC, USA
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21
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Lee TJ, Kinzig KP. Reprint of "Repeated adolescent activity-based anorexia influences central estrogen signaling and adulthood anxiety-like behaviors in rats". Physiol Behav 2017; 178:179-186. [PMID: 28341321 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) typically presents in adolescence and is highly comorbid with anxiety and depression, which often persist after elimination of AN symptomology. The activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm allows for evaluation of behavioral and neuroendocrine consequences of AN-like behaviors, including voluntary anorexia, hyperactivity, and disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) and the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Because ABA in adolescent females results in increased anxiety-like behavior in adulthood and the estrogen signaling system has been shown to play a role in anxiety and food intake, we investigated the role of ovarian hormones in adolescent ABA-treated rats, and long-term effects of mid- and late adolescent ABA exposure on behavior and estrogen signaling. While previous research demonstrated that two bouts of ABA during adolescence resulted in decreased time in the open arm of the elevated plus maze (EPM) and increased activity of the HPA axis in response to a novel stressor, here we show that one bout of ABA in mid-or late-adolescence did not result in the same behavioral outcome. Two exposures to ABA during adolescence were necessary to produce long-term anxiety-like behavior on the EPM. Finally, removal of ovarian hormones by ovariectomy (OVX) prior to puberty did not attenuate long-term behavioral consequences of ABA in adolescence, and estrogen receptor β (ERβ) expression level in the amygdala of ABA rats was significantly lower than control subjects. Taken together, these studies identify enduring effects of ABA in adolescent females that may be mediated by ABA-induced changes to CNS ERβ signaling that increase anxiety-like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tien-Jui Lee
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
| | - Kimberly P Kinzig
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
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22
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Oyola MG, Thompson MK, Handa AZ, Handa RJ. Distribution and chemical composition of estrogen receptor β neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the female and male mouse hypothalamus. J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:3666-3682. [PMID: 28758220 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2016] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Activation of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ)-expressing neurons regulates the mammalian stress response via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. These neurons densely populate the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Recent research has revealed striking differences between rat and mouse PVN cytochemistry, but careful exploration of PVN ERβ neurons in mice has been hindered by a lack of specific ERβ antisera. Therefore, we used male and female transgenic mice expressing EGFP under the control of the mouse ERβ promoter (ERβ-EGFP) to examine the chemical architecture of PVN ERβ cells. Using immunohistochemistry, we found that 90% of ERβ-immunoreactivity (-ir) colocalized with EGFP. Cellular colocalization of EGFP with neuropeptides, transcription modulators, and neuronal tracers was examined throughout the PVN. ERβ-EGFP cells expressed oxytocin more abundantly in the rostral (71 ± 3%) than caudal (33 ± 8%) PVN. Arginine vasopressin colocalized with EGFP more often in females (18 ± 3%) than males (4 ± 1%). Moreover, estrogen receptor α-ir colocalized with ERβ-EGFP at low levels (15 ± 3%). Using a corticotropin releasing hormone-cre driver X tdTomato reporter mouse, we found a moderate colocalization with ERβ-ir (48 ± 16%) in the middle PVN. Peripheral injection of fluorogold revealed that the rostral PVN ERβ-EGFP cells are neuroendocrine neurons whereas non-neuroendocrine (presumably pre-autonomic) ERβ-EGFP neurons predominated in the posterior PVN. These data demonstrate chemoarchitectural differences in ERβ neurons of the mouse PVN that are different from that previously described for the rat, thus, elucidating potential neuronal pathways involved in the regulation of the HPA axis in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario G Oyola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Maranda K Thompson
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Univ. Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Aaron Z Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Univ. Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
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23
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Lee TJ, Kinzig KP. Repeated adolescent activity-based anorexia influences central estrogen signaling and adulthood anxiety-like behaviors in rats. Physiol Behav 2017; 171:199-206. [PMID: 28069464 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.12.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tien-Jui Lee
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
| | - Kimberly P Kinzig
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
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24
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Estradiol variability, stressful life events, and the emergence of depressive symptomatology during the menopausal transition. Menopause 2016; 23:257-66. [PMID: 26529616 DOI: 10.1097/gme.0000000000000528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to examine the role of estradiol fluctuation in triggering depressive symptoms in the menopausal transition and assess the role of recent very stressful life events (VSLEs) as a moderating factor in this relationship. METHODS A total of 52 euthymic women in the menopausal transition or early postmenopause (age 45-60) who were assigned to the placebo arm of a randomized controlled trial of hormone therapy provided the data for this report. At enrollment, women's experience of recent VSLEs, depressive symptoms, serum estradiol, and progesterone were assessed. At months 1, 8, and 14, depressive symptoms and hormones were reassessed, and participants underwent a stressor battery involving a speech and a mental arithmetic task. Participants rated their feelings of anxiety, fear, anger, and rejection. The standard deviation of estradiol provided an index of hormone variability over the entire 14 months. RESULTS Greater estradiol variability across the 14 months predicted greater depressive symptoms at month 14, though only in women reporting a higher number of VSLEs at baseline (39% of women reported ≤1 recent event). Greater estradiol variability also predicted greater feelings of rejection to the laboratory stressor at months 8 and 14. Furthermore, among women reporting higher VSLEs at baseline, feelings of rejection in response to the laboratory stressor at month 8 predicted depressive symptoms at month 14. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that estradiol variability may enhance emotional sensitivity to psychosocial stress, particularly sensitivity to social rejection. Combined with VSLEs proximate to the menopausal transition, this increased sensitivity may contribute to the development of depressed mood.
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Borrow AP, Handa RJ. Estrogen Receptors Modulation of Anxiety-Like Behavior. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2016; 103:27-52. [PMID: 28061972 DOI: 10.1016/bs.vh.2016.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Estrogens exert profound effects on the expression of anxiety in humans and rodents; however, the directionality of these effects varies considerably within both clinical and preclinical literature. It is believed that discrepancies regarding the nature of estrogens' effects on anxiety are attributable to the differential effects of specific estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes. In this chapter we will discuss the relative impact on anxiety and anxiety-like behavior of each of the three main ERs: ERα, which has a generally anxiogenic effect, ERβ, which has a generally anxiolytic effect, and the G-protein-coupled ER known as GPR30, which has been found to both increase and decrease anxiety-like behavior. In addition, we will describe the known mechanisms by which these receptor subtypes exert their influence on emotional responses, focusing on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the oxytocinergic and serotonergic systems. The impact of estrogens on the expression of anxiety is likely the result of their combined effects on all of these neurobiological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Borrow
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - R J Handa
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
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26
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Role of Estradiol in the Regulation of Prolactin Secretion During Late Pregnancy. Neurochem Res 2016; 41:3344-3355. [DOI: 10.1007/s11064-016-2067-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Revised: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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27
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Green MR, McCormick CM. Sex and stress steroids in adolescence: Gonadal regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the rat. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 234:110-6. [PMID: 26851306 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
This review provides an overview of the current understanding of the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to stressors. HPA function is influenced by both organizational (programming) and activational effects of gonadal hormones. Typically, in adult rats, estradiol increases and androgens decrease the HPA response to stressors, thereby contributing to sex differences in HPA function, and sensitivity of the HPA axis to gonadal steroids is in part determined by exposure to these hormones in early development. Although developmental differences in HPA function are well characterized, the extent to which gonadal steroids contribute to age differences in HPA function is not well understood. Deficits in the understanding of the relationships between the HPA and HPG axes are greatest for the adolescent period of development. The critical outstanding questions are, when do gonadal hormones begin to regulate HPA function in adolescence, and what mechanisms precipitate change in sensitivity of the HPA axis to the HPG axis at this stage of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Green
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Cheryl M McCormick
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada; Centre for Neuroscience, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada.
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28
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Soleimani Asl S, Mehdizadeh M, Hamedi Shahraki S, Artimani T, Joghataei MT. Sex differences in MDMA-induced toxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats. FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGY 2016; 30:131-7. [PMID: 26415786 DOI: 10.11138/fneur/2015.30.2.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence demonstrates that female subjects show exaggerated responses to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) compared with males. The aim of our study was to evaluate sex differences and the role of endogenous gonadal hormones on the effects of MDMA. Fifty-six intact and gonadectomized male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to either MDMA (5 mg/kg) or saline treatment. Learning and memory were assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM). The expression of Bax and Bcl-2 in the hippocampus was detected by Western blotting. Behavioral analysis showed that MDMA led to memory impairment in both male and female rats. The female rats showed more sensitivity to impairment than the males, as assessed using all the memory parameters in the MWM. Ovariectomy attenuated the MDMA-induced memory impairment. By contrast, orchiectomized rats showed more impairment than MDMA-treated intact male rats. Bcl-2 and Bax were down-regulated and up-regulated in MDMA-treated male and female rats, respectively. MDMA treatment in the orchiectomized rats led to upregulation of Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2. Ovariectomy attenuated the MDMA-induced up-regulation of Bax and caused more expression of Bcl-2 compared with what was observed in the MDMA-treated intact female rats. In summary, female rats showed exaggerated responses to the effects of MDMA and this may be explained by endogenous gonadal hormones.
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Goel N, Workman JL, Lee TT, Innala L, Viau V. Sex differences in the HPA axis. Compr Physiol 2015; 4:1121-55. [PMID: 24944032 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c130054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 239] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a major component of the systems that respond to stress, by coordinating the neuroendocrine and autonomic responses. Tightly controlled regulation of HPA responses is critical for maintaining mental and physical health, as hyper- and hypo-activity have been linked to disease states. A long history of research has revealed sex differences in numerous components of the HPA stress system and its responses, which may partially form the basis for sex disparities in disease development. Despite this, many studies use male subjects exclusively, while fewer reports involve females or provide direct sex comparisons. The purpose of this article is to present sex comparisons in the functional and molecular aspects of the HPA axis, through various phases of activity, including basal, acute stress, and chronic stress conditions. The HPA axis in females initiates more rapidly and produces a greater output of stress hormones. This review focuses on the interactions between the gonadal hormone system and the HPA axis as the key mediators of these sex differences, whereby androgens increase and estrogens decrease HPA activity in adulthood. In addition to the effects of gonadal hormones on the adult response, morphological impacts of hormone exposure during development are also involved in mediating sex differences. Additional systems impinging on the HPA axis that contribute to sex differences include the monoamine neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin. Diverse signals originating from the brain and periphery are integrated to determine the level of HPA axis activity, and these signals are, in many cases, sex-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirupa Goel
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Estrogen receptor β and Liver X receptor β: biology and therapeutic potential in CNS diseases. Mol Psychiatry 2015; 20:18-22. [PMID: 24662928 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2014.23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In the last decade of the twentieth century, two nuclear receptors were discovered in our laboratory and, very surprisingly, were found to have key roles in the central nervous system. These receptors have provided some novel insights into the etiology and progression of neurodegenerative diseases and anxiety disorders. The two receptors are estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) and liver X receptor beta (LXRβ). Both ERβ and LXRβ have potent anti-inflammatory activities and, in addition, LXRβ is involved in the genesis of dopaminergic neurons during development and protection of these neurons against neurodegeneration in adult life. ERβ is involved in migration of cortical neurons and calretinin-positive GABAergic interneurons during development and maintenance of serotonergic neurons in adults. Both receptors are present in magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamic preoptic area including those expressing vasopressin and oxytocin. As both ERβ and LXRβ are ligand-activated transcription factors, their ligands hold great potential in the treatment of diseases of the CNS.
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Acevedo-Rodriguez A, Mani SK, Handa RJ. Oxytocin and Estrogen Receptor β in the Brain: An Overview. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2015; 6:160. [PMID: 26528239 PMCID: PMC4606117 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2015.00160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is a neuropeptide synthesized primarily by neurons of the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus. These neurons have axons that project into the posterior pituitary and release OT into the bloodstream to promote labor and lactation; however, OT neurons also project to other brain areas where it plays a role in numerous brain functions. OT binds to the widely expressed OT receptor (OTR), and, in doing so, it regulates homeostatic processes, social recognition, and fear conditioning. In addition to these functions, OT decreases neuroendocrine stress signaling and anxiety-related and depression-like behaviors. Steroid hormones differentially modulate stress responses and alter OTR expression. In particular, estrogen receptor β activation has been found to both reduce anxiety-related behaviors and increase OT peptide transcription, suggesting a role for OT in this estrogen receptor β-mediated anxiolytic effect. Further research is needed to identify modulators of OT signaling and the pathways utilized and to elucidate molecular mechanisms controlling OT expression to allow better therapeutic manipulations of this system in patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Acevedo-Rodriguez
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Memory and Brain Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shaila K. Mani
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Memory and Brain Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Robert J. Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- *Correspondence: Robert J. Handa,
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Marano RJ, Ben-Jonathan N. Minireview: Extrapituitary prolactin: an update on the distribution, regulation, and functions. Mol Endocrinol 2014; 28:622-33. [PMID: 24694306 DOI: 10.1210/me.2013-1349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Prolactin (PRL) is an important hormone with many diverse functions. Although it is predominantly produced by lactrotrophs of the pituitary there are a number of other organs, cells, and tissues in which PRL is expressed and secreted. The impact of this extrapituitary PRL (ePRL) on localized metabolism and cellular functions is gaining widespread attention. In 1996, a comprehensive review on ePRL was published. However, since this time, there have been a number of advancements in ePRL research. This includes a greater understanding of the components of the control elements located within the superdistal promoter of the ePRL gene. Furthermore, several new sites of ePRL have been discovered, each under unique control by a range of transcription factors and elements. The functional role of ePRL at each of the expression sites also varies widely leading to gender and site bias. This review aims to provide an update to the research conducted on ePRL since the 1996 review. The focus is on new data concerning the sites of ePRL expression, its regulation, and its function within the organs in which it is expressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Marano
- Ear Science Institute Australia (R.J.M.), Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008, Australia; Ear Sciences Centre, School of Surgery (R.J.M.), The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia; and Department of Cancer Biology (N.B-J.), University of Cincinnati Medical School, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267
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Handa RJ, Weiser MJ. Gonadal steroid hormones and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. Front Neuroendocrinol 2014; 35:197-220. [PMID: 24246855 PMCID: PMC5802971 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2013.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 287] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2013] [Revised: 10/04/2013] [Accepted: 11/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis represents a complex neuroendocrine feedback loop controlling the secretion of adrenal glucocorticoid hormones. Central to its function is the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) where neurons expressing corticotropin releasing factor reside. These HPA motor neurons are a primary site of integration leading to graded endocrine responses to physical and psychological stressors. An important regulatory factor that must be considered, prior to generating an appropriate response is the animal's reproductive status. Thus, PVN neurons express androgen and estrogen receptors and receive input from sites that also express these receptors. Consequently, changes in reproduction and gonadal steroid levels modulate the stress response and this underlies sex differences in HPA axis function. This review examines the make up of the HPA axis and hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and the interactions between the two that should be considered when exploring normal and pathological responses to environmental stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Science, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ 85004, United States.
| | - Michael J Weiser
- DSM Nutritional Products Ltd., R&D Human Nutrition and Health, Boulder, CO 80301, United States
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Estrogen receptor β and oxytocin interact to modulate anxiety-like behavior and neuroendocrine stress reactivity in adult male and female rats. Physiol Behav 2014; 129:287-96. [PMID: 24631553 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2013] [Revised: 02/09/2014] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is activated in response to stressors and is controlled by neurons residing in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Although gonadal steroid hormones can influence HPA reactivity to stressors, the exact mechanism of action is not fully understood. It is known, however, that estrogen receptor β (ERβ) inhibits HPA reactivity and decreases anxiety-like behavior in rodents. Since ERβ is co-expressed with oxytocin (OT) in neurons of the PVN, an ERβ-selective agonist was utilized to test the whether ERβ decreases stress-induced HPA reactivity and anxiety-like behaviors via an OTergic pathway. Adult gonadectomized male and female rats were administered diarylpropionitrile, or vehicle, peripherally for 5days. When tested for anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus maze (EPM), diarylpropionitrile-treated males and females significantly increased time on the open arm of the EPM compared to vehicle controls indicating that ERβ reduces anxiety-like behaviors. One week after behavioral evaluation, rats were subjected to a 20minute restraint stress. Treatment with diarylpropionitrile reduced CORT and ACTH responses in both males and females. Subsequently, another group of animals was implanted with cannulae directed at the lateral ventricle. One week later, rats underwent the same protocol as above but with the additional treatment of intracerebroventricular infusion with an OT antagonist (des Gly-NH2 d(CH2)5 [Tyr(Me)(2), Thr(4)] OVT) or VEH, 20min prior to behavioral evaluation. OT antagonist treatment blocked the effects of diarylpropionitrile on the display of anxiety-like behaviors and plasma CORT levels. These data indicate that ERβ and OT interact to modulate the HPA reactivity and the display of anxiety-like behaviors.
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35
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Cao J, Joyner L, Mickens JA, Leyrer SM, Patisaul HB. Sex-specific Esr2 mRNA expression in the rat hypothalamus and amygdala is altered by neonatal bisphenol A exposure. Reproduction 2014; 147:537-54. [PMID: 24352099 PMCID: PMC3947720 DOI: 10.1530/rep-13-0501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Perinatal life is a critical window for sexually dimorphic brain organization, and profoundly influenced by steroid hormones. Exposure to endocrine-disrupting compounds may disrupt this process, resulting in compromised reproductive physiology and behavior. To test the hypothesis that neonatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure can alter sex-specific postnatal Esr2 (Erβ) expression in brain regions fundamental to sociosexual behavior, we mapped Esr2 mRNA levels in the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTp), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), anterior portion of the medial amygdaloid nucleus (MeA), super optic nucleus, suprachiasmatic nucleus, and lateral habenula across postnatal days (PNDs) 0-19. Next, rat pups of both sexes were subcutaneously injected with 10 μg estradiol benzoate (EB), 50 μg/kg BPA (LBPA), or 50 mg/kg BPA (HBPA) over the first 3 days of life and Esr2 levels were quantified in each region of interest (ROI) on PNDs 4 and 10. EB exposure decreased Esr2 signal in most female ROIs and in the male PVN. In the BNSTp, Esr2 expression decreased in LBPA males and HBPA females on PND 10, thereby reversing the sex difference in expression. In the PVN, Esr2 mRNA levels were elevated in LBPA females, also resulting in a reversal of sexually dimorphic expression. In the MeA, BPA decreased Esr2 expression on PND 4. Collectively, these data demonstrate that region- and sex-specific Esr2 expression is vulnerable to neonatal BPA exposure in regions of the developing brain critical to sociosexual behavior in rat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyan Cao
- Department of Biology, NCSU, Raleigh NC, 27695
| | | | | | | | - Heather B Patisaul
- Department of Biology, NCSU, Raleigh NC, 27695
- Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, NCSU, Raleigh NC, 27695
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Arakawa K, Arakawa H, Hueston CM, Deak T. Effects of the estrous cycle and ovarian hormones on central expression of interleukin-1 evoked by stress in female rats. Neuroendocrinology 2014; 100:162-77. [PMID: 25300872 DOI: 10.1159/000368606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2014] [Accepted: 09/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to stressors such as foot shock (FS) leads to increased expression of multiple inflammatory factors, including the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) in the brain. Studies have indicated that there are sex differences in stress reactivity, suggesting that the fluctuations in gonadal steroid levels across the estrous cycle may play a regulatory role in the stress-induced cytokine expression. The present studies were designed to investigate the role of 17-β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (Pg) in regulating the cytokine response within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus through analysis of gene expression with real-time RT-PCR. Regularly cycling female rats showed a stress-induced increase in PVN IL-1 levels during the diestrous, proestrous, and estrous stages. During the metestrous stage, no change in IL-1 levels was seen following FS; however, estrogen receptor (ER)-β levels did increase. Ovariectomy resulted in an increase in PVN IL-1 levels, which was attenuated by treatment with estradiol benzoate (10 or 50 µg), indicating an E2-mediated anti-inflammatory effect. Ovariectomized rats treated with Pg (500 or 1,250 µg) showed no alteration in IL-1 levels, but Pg did up-regulate ER-β gene expression. The results from the current study implicate a potential mechanism through which high availability of endogenous Pg during the metestrous stage increases ER-β sensitivity, which in turn attenuates the PVN IL-1 response to stress. Thus, the interaction between gonadal steroid hormones and their central receptors may exert a powerful inhibitory effect on neuroimmune consequences of stress throughout the estrous cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiko Arakawa
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, N.Y., USA
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37
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Hiroi R, Lacagnina AF, Hinds LR, Carbone DG, Uht RM, Handa RJ. The androgen metabolite, 5α-androstane-3β,17β-diol (3β-diol), activates the oxytocin promoter through an estrogen receptor-β pathway. Endocrinology 2013; 154:1802-12. [PMID: 23515287 PMCID: PMC3628024 DOI: 10.1210/en.2012-2253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone has been shown to suppress the acute stress-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; however, the mechanisms underlying this response remain unclear. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is regulated by a neuroendocrine subpopulation of medial parvocellular neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). These neurons are devoid of androgen receptors (ARs). Therefore, a possibility is that the PVN target neurons respond to a metabolite in the testosterone catabolic pathway via an AR-independent mechanism. The dihydrotestosterone metabolite, 5α-androstane-3β,17β-diol (3β-diol), binds and activates estrogen receptor-β (ER-β), the predominant ER in the PVN. In the PVN, ER-β is coexpressed with oxytocin (OT). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that 3β-diol regulates OT expression through ER-β activation. Treatment of ovariectomized rats with estradiol benzoate or 3β-diol for 4 days increased OT mRNA selectively in the midcaudal, but not rostral PVN compared with vehicle-treated controls. 3β-Diol treatment also increased OT mRNA in the hypothalamic N38 cell line in vitro. The functional interactions between 3β-diol and ER-β with the human OT promoter were examined using an OT promoter-luciferase reporter construct (OT-luc). In a dose-dependent manner, 3β-diol treatment increased OT-luc activity when cells were cotransfected with ER-β, but not ER-α. The 3β-diol-induced OT-luc activity was reduced by deletion of the promoter region containing the composite hormone response element (cHRE). Point mutations of the cHRE also prevented OT-luc activation by 3β-diol. These results indicate that 3β-diol induces OT promoter activity via ER-β-cHRE interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryoko Hiroi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Building ABC1, Room 422, 425 North Fifth Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85004, USA
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Tobet SA, Handa RJ, Goldstein JM. Sex-dependent pathophysiology as predictors of comorbidity of major depressive disorder and cardiovascular disease. Pflugers Arch 2013; 465:585-94. [PMID: 23503726 PMCID: PMC3654035 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-013-1248-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2013] [Revised: 02/06/2013] [Accepted: 02/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
There is a strong and growing literature showing that key aspects of brain development may be critical antecedents of adult physiology and behavior or may lead to physiological and psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Many are significantly influenced by sex-dependent factors. Neurons of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus occupy a key position in regulating homeostatic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral functions. This brain area is a critical link for our understanding of the etiology of a number of disorders with components ranging from mood to feeding and energy balance and to autonomic nervous system regulation. Thus, based on common brain circuitry, the PVN may be a critical anatomical intersection for understanding comorbidities among depression, obesity, and cardiovascular risk. Historically, the majority of approaches to brain development examine neuronal, glial, and vascular factors independently, with notably less emphasis on vascular contributions. The realization that the PVN undergoes a unique vascular developmental process places added value on discerning the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive its late-onset angiogenesis and further implications for neuronal differentiation and function. This has ramifications in humans for understanding chronic, and sometimes fatal, comorbidities that share sex-dependent biological bases in development through functional and anatomical intersections with the hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Tobet
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, 1617 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
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Chung WCJ, Auger AP. Gender differences in neurodevelopment and epigenetics. Pflugers Arch 2013; 465:573-84. [PMID: 23503727 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-013-1258-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2013] [Revised: 02/26/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The concept that the brain differs in make-up between males and females is not new. For example, it is well established that anatomists in the nineteenth century found sex differences in human brain weight. The importance of sex differences in the organization of the brain cannot be overstated as they may directly affect cognitive functions, such as verbal skills and visuospatial tasks in a sex-dependent fashion. Moreover, the incidence of neurological and psychiatric diseases is also highly dependent on sex. These clinical observations reiterate the importance that gender must be taken into account as a relevant possible contributing factor in order to understand the pathogenesis of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Gender-dependent differentiation of the brain has been detected at every level of organization--morphological, neurochemical, and functional--and has been shown to be primarily controlled by sex differences in gonadal steroid hormone levels during perinatal development. In this review, we discuss howthe gonadal steroid hormone testosterone and its metabolites affect downstream signaling cascades, including gonadal steroid receptor activation, and epigenetic events in order to differentiate the brain in a gender-dependent fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson C J Chung
- Department of Biological Sciences and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA.
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Fernández-Guasti A, Fiedler JL, Herrera L, Handa RJ. Sex, stress, and mood disorders: at the intersection of adrenal and gonadal hormones. Horm Metab Res 2012; 44:607-18. [PMID: 22581646 PMCID: PMC3584173 DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1312592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The risk for neuropsychiatric illnesses has a strong sex bias, and for major depressive disorder (MDD), females show a more than 2-fold greater risk compared to males. Such mood disorders are commonly associated with a dysregulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Thus, sex differences in the incidence of MDD may be related with the levels of gonadal steroid hormone in adulthood or during early development as well as with the sex differences in HPA axis function. In rodents, organizational and activational effects of gonadal steroid hormones have been described for the regulation of HPA axis function and, if consistent with humans, this may underlie the increased risk of mood disorders in women. Other developmental factors, such as prenatal stress and prenatal overexposure to glucocorticoids can also impact behaviors and neuroendocrine responses to stress in adulthood and these effects are also reported to occur with sex differences. Similarly, in humans, the clinical benefits of antidepressants are associated with the normalization of the dysregulated HPA axis, and genetic polymorphisms have been found in some genes involved in controlling the stress response. This review examines some potential factors contributing to the sex difference in the risk of affective disorders with a focus on adrenal and gonadal hormones as potential modulators. Genetic and environmental factors that contribute to individual risk for affective disorders are also described. Ultimately, future treatment strategies for depression should consider all of these biological elements in their design.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - J. L. Fiedler
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurogenetics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - L. Herrera
- Human Genetics Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - R. J. Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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Lucio-Oliveira F, Franci CR. Effect of the interaction between food state and the action of estrogen on oxytocinergic system activity. J Endocrinol 2012; 212:129-38. [PMID: 22083216 DOI: 10.1530/joe-11-0272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Increased plasma osmolality by food intake evokes augmentation of plasma oxytocin (OT). Ovarian steroids may also influence the balance of body fluids by acting on OT neurones. Our aim was to determine if estrogen influences the activity of OT neurones in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) under different osmotic situations. Ovariectomized rats (OVX) were treated with either estradiol (E(2)) or vehicle and were divided into three groups: group I was fed ad libitum, group II underwent 48 h of fasting, and group III was refed after 48 h of fasting. On the day of the experiment, blood samples were collected to determine the plasma osmolality and OT. The animals were subsequently perfused, and OT/FOS immunofluorescence analysis was conducted on neurones in the PVN and the SON. When compared to animals which were fasted or fed ad libitum, the plasma osmolality of refed animals was higher, regardless of whether they were treated with vehicle or E(2). We observed neural activation of OT cells in vehicle- or E(2)-treated OVX rats refed after 48 h of fasting, but not in animals fed ad libitum or in animals that only underwent 48 h of fasting. Finally, the percentage of neurones that co-expressed OT and FOS was lower in both the PVN and the SON of animals treated with E(2) and refed, when compared to vehicle-treated animals. These results suggest that E(2) may have an inhibitory effect on OT neurones and may modulate the secretion of OT in response to the increase of osmolality induced by refeeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Lucio-Oliveira
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto - SP, Brazil
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Oyola MG, Portillo W, Reyna A, Foradori CD, Kudwa A, Hinds L, Handa RJ, Mani SK. Anxiolytic effects and neuroanatomical targets of estrogen receptor-β (ERβ) activation by a selective ERβ agonist in female mice. Endocrinology 2012; 153:837-46. [PMID: 22186418 PMCID: PMC3275390 DOI: 10.1210/en.2011-1674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The dichotomous anxiogenic and anxiolytic properties of estrogens have been reported to be mediated by two distinct neural estrogen receptors (ER), ERα and ERβ, respectively. Using a combination of pharmacological and genetic approaches, we confirmed that the anxiolytic actions of estradiol are mediated by ERβ and extended and these observations to demonstrate the neuroanatomical targets involved in ERβ activation in these behavioral responses. We examined the effects of the biologically active S-enantiomer of diarylpropionitrile (S-DPN) on anxiety-related behavioral measures, the corresponding stress hormonal response to hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity, and potential sites of neuronal activation in mutant female mice carrying a null mutation for ERβ gene (βERKO). S-DPN administration significantly reduced anxiety-like behaviors in the open field, light-dark exploration, and the elevated plus maze (EPM) in ovariectomized wild-type (WT) mice, but not in their βERKO littermates. Stress-induced corticosterone (CORT) and ACTH were also attenuated by S-DPN in the WT mice but not in the βERKO mice. Using c-fos induction after elevated plus maze, as a marker of stress-induced neuronal activation, we identified the anterodorsal medial amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis as the neuronal targets of S-DPN action. Both areas showed elevated c-fos mRNA expression with S-DPN treatment in the WT but not βERKO females. These studies provide compelling evidence for anxiolytic effects mediated by ERβ, and its neuroanatomical targets, that send or receive projections to/from the paraventricular nucleus, providing potential indirect mode of action for the control of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis function and behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario G Oyola
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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Abstract
Oestradiol exerts a profound influence upon multiple brain circuits. For the most part, these effects are mediated by oestrogen receptor (ER)α. We review here the roles of ERβ, the other ER isoform, in mediating rodent oestradiol-regulated anxiety, aggressive and sexual behaviours, the control of gonadotrophin secretion, and adult neurogenesis. Evidence exists for: (i) ERβ located in the paraventricular nucleus underpinning the suppressive influence of oestradiol on the stress axis and anxiety-like behaviour; (ii) ERβ expressed in gonadotrophin-releasing hormone neurones contributing to oestrogen negative-feedback control of gonadotrophin secretion; (iii) ERβ controlling the offset of lordosis behaviour; (iv) ERβ suppressing aggressive behaviour in males; (v) ERβ modulating responses to social stimuli; and (vi) ERβ in controlling adult neurogenesis. This review highlights two major themes; first, ERβ and ERα are usually tightly inter-related in the oestradiol-dependent control of a particular brain function. For example, even though oestradiol feedback to control reproduction occurs principally through ERα-dependent mechanisms, modulatory roles for ERβ also exist. Second, the roles of ERα and ERβ within a particular neural network may be synergistic or antagonistic. Examples of the latter include the role of ERα to enhance, and ERβ to suppress, anxiety-like and aggressive behaviours. Splice variants such as ERβ2, acting as dominant negative receptors, are of further particular interest because their expression levels may reflect preceeding oestradiol exposure of relevance to oestradiol replacement therapy. Together, this review highlights the predominant modulatory, but nonetheless important, roles of ERβ in mediating the many effects of oestradiol upon adult brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. J. Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - S. Ogawa
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - J. M. Wang
- Department of Pathology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - A. E. Herbison
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Physiology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Handa RJ, Mani SK, Uht RM. Estrogen receptors and the regulation of neural stress responses. Neuroendocrinology 2012; 96:111-8. [PMID: 22538291 PMCID: PMC3526110 DOI: 10.1159/000338397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2012] [Accepted: 03/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
It is now well established that estrogens can influence a panoply of physiological and behavioral functions. In many instances, the effects of estrogens are mediated by the 'classical' actions of two different estrogen receptors (ERs), ERα or ERβ. ERα and ERβ appear to have opposing actions in the control of stress responses and modulate different neurotransmitter or neuropeptide systems. Studies elucidating the molecular mechanisms for such regulatory processes are currently in progress. Furthermore, the use of ERα and ERβ knockout mouse lines has allowed the exploration of the importance of these receptors in behavioral responses such as anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors. This review examines some of the recent advances in our knowledge of hormonal control of neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to stress and underscore the importance of these receptors as future therapeutic targets for control of stress-related signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA.
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45
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Mecawi AS, Vilhena-Franco T, Araujo IG, Reis LC, Elias LLK, Antunes-Rodrigues J. Estradiol potentiates hypothalamic vasopressin and oxytocin neuron activation and hormonal secretion induced by hypovolemic shock. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2011; 301:R905-15. [PMID: 21632848 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00800.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Estrogen receptors are located in important brain areas that integrate cardiovascular and hydroelectrolytic responses, including the subfornical organ (SFO) and supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of estradiol on cardiovascular and neuroendocrine changes induced by hemorrhagic shock in ovariectomized rats. Female Wistar rats (220-280 g) were ovariectomized and treated for 7 days with vehicle or estradiol cypionate (EC, 10 or 40 μg/kg, sc). On the 8th day, animals were subjected to hemorrhage (1.5 ml/100 g for 1 min). Hemorrhage induced acute hypotension and bradycardia in the ovariectomized-oil group, but EC treatment inhibited these responses. We observed increases in plasma angiotensin II concentrations and decreases in plasma atrial natriuretic peptide levels after hemorrhage; EC treatment produced no effects on these responses. There were also increases in plasma vasopressin (AVP), oxytocin (OT), and prolactin levels after the induction of hemorrhage in all groups, and these responses were potentiated by EC administration. SFO neurons and parvocellular and magnocellular AVP and OT neurons in the PVN and SON were activated by hemorrhagic shock. EC treatment enhanced the activation of SFO neurons and AVP and OT magnocellular neurons in the PVN and SON and AVP neurons in the medial parvocellular region of the PVN. These results suggest that estradiol modulates the cardiovascular responses induced by hemorrhage, and this effect is likely mediated by an enhancement of AVP and OT neuron activity in the SON and PVN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andre S Mecawi
- Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, Department of Physiology, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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46
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Sjoeholm A, Bridges RS, Grattan DR, Anderson GM. Region-, neuron-, and signaling pathway-specific increases in prolactin responsiveness in reproductively experienced female rats. Endocrinology 2011; 152:1979-88. [PMID: 21363933 PMCID: PMC3075931 DOI: 10.1210/en.2010-1220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Pregnancy and lactation cause long-lasting enhancements in maternal behavior and other physiological functions, along with increased hypothalamic prolactin receptor expression. To directly test whether reproductive experience increases prolactin responsiveness in the arcuate, paraventricular, and supraoptic nuclei and the medial preoptic area, female rats experienced a full pregnancy and lactation or remained as age-matched virgin controls. At 5 wk after weaning, rats received 2.5, 100, or 4000 ng ovine prolactin or vehicle intracerebroventricularly. The brains underwent immunohistochemistry for the phosphorylated forms of signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (pSTAT5) or ERK1/2 (pERK1/2). There was a marked increase in pSTAT5 and pERK1/2 in response to prolactin in the regions examined in both virgin and primiparous rats. Primiparous rats exhibited approximately double the number of prolactin-induced pSTAT5-immunoreactive cells as virgins, this effect being most apparent at the higher prolactin doses in the medial preoptic area and paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei and at the lowest prolactin dose in the arcuate nucleus. Dual-label immunohistochemistry showed that arcuate kisspeptin (but not oxytocin or dopamine) neurons displayed increased sensitivity to prolactin in reproductively experienced animals; these neurons may contribute to the reduction in prolactin concentration observed after reproductive experience. There was no effect of reproductive experience on prolactin-induced pERK1/2, indicating a selective effect on the STAT5 pathway. These data show that STAT5 responsiveness to prolactin is enhanced by reproductive experience in multiple hypothalamic regions. The findings may have significant implications for understanding postpartum disorders affecting maternal care and other prolactin-associated pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Sjoeholm
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, University of Otago School of Medical Sciences, Dunedin, New Zealand
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47
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Handa RJ, Sharma D, Uht R. A role for the androgen metabolite, 5alpha androstane 3beta, 17beta diol (3β-diol) in the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2011; 2:65. [PMID: 22649380 PMCID: PMC3355903 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2011.00065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2011] [Accepted: 10/13/2011] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a basic reaction of animals to environmental perturbations that threaten homeostasis. These responses are ultimately regulated by neurons residing within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. Within the PVN, corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), vasopressin (AVP), and oxytocin (OT) expressing neurons are critical as they can regulate both neuroendocrine and autonomic responses. Estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) are well known reproductive hormones; however, they have also been shown to modulate stress reactivity. In rodent models, evidence shows that under some conditions E2 enhances stress activated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone secretion. In contrast, T decreases the gain of the HPA axis. The modulatory role of testosterone was originally thought to be via 5 alpha reduction to the potent androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and its subsequent binding to the androgen receptor, whereas E2 effects were thought to be mediated by estrogen receptors alpha (ERalpha) and beta (ERbeta). However, DHT has been shown to be metabolized to the ERbeta agonist, 5α- androstane 3β, 17β Diol (3β-Diol). The actions of 3β-Diol on the HPA axis are mediated by ERbeta which inhibits the PVN response to stressors. In gonadectomized rats, ERbeta agonists reduce CORT and ACTH responses to restraint stress, an effect that is also present in wild-type but not ERbeta-knockout mice. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying the ability of ERbeta to alter HPA reactivity are not currently known. CRH, AVP, and OT have all been shown to be regulated by estradiol and recent studies indicate an important role of ERbeta in these regulatory processes. Moreover, activation of the CRH and AVP promoters has been shown to occur by 3β-Diol binding to ERbeta and this is thought to occur through alternate pathways of gene regulation. Based on available data, a novel and important role of 3β-Diol in the regulation of the HPA axis is suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine – PhoenixPhoenix, AZ, USA
- *Correspondence: Robert J. Handa, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, 425 N. 5th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA. e-mail:
| | - Dharmendra Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience and Institute for Aging and Alzheimers Disease Research, University of North Texas Health Sciences CenterFort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Rosalie Uht
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience and Institute for Aging and Alzheimers Disease Research, University of North Texas Health Sciences CenterFort Worth, TX, USA
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48
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Endocrine induced changes in brain function during pregnancy. Brain Res 2010; 1364:198-215. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.09.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2010] [Revised: 09/10/2010] [Accepted: 09/16/2010] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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49
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Gillies GE, McArthur S. Estrogen actions in the brain and the basis for differential action in men and women: a case for sex-specific medicines. Pharmacol Rev 2010; 62:155-98. [PMID: 20392807 PMCID: PMC2879914 DOI: 10.1124/pr.109.002071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 467] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The classic view of estrogen actions in the brain was confined to regulation of ovulation and reproductive behavior in the female of all mammalian species studied, including humans. Burgeoning evidence now documents profound effects of estrogens on learning, memory, and mood as well as neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative processes. Most data derive from studies in females, but there is mounting recognition that estrogens play important roles in the male brain, where they can be generated from circulating testosterone by local aromatase enzymes or synthesized de novo by neurons and glia. Estrogen-based therapy therefore holds considerable promise for brain disorders that affect both men and women. However, as investigations are beginning to consider the role of estrogens in the male brain more carefully, it emerges that they have different, even opposite, effects as well as similar effects in male and female brains. This review focuses on these differences, including sex dimorphisms in the ability of estradiol to influence synaptic plasticity, neurotransmission, neurodegeneration, and cognition, which, we argue, are due in a large part to sex differences in the organization of the underlying circuitry. There are notable sex differences in the incidence and manifestations of virtually all central nervous system disorders, including neurodegenerative disease (Parkinson's and Alzheimer's), drug abuse, anxiety, and depression. Understanding the cellular and molecular basis of sex differences in brain physiology and responses to estrogen and estrogen mimics is, therefore, vitally important for understanding the nature and origins of sex-specific pathological conditions and for designing novel hormone-based therapeutic agents that will have optimal effectiveness in men or women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenda E Gillies
- Centre for Neuroscience, Department of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, DuCane Road, London W12ONN, UK.
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50
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Weiser MJ, Foradori CD, Handa RJ. Estrogen receptor beta activation prevents glucocorticoid receptor-dependent effects of the central nucleus of the amygdala on behavior and neuroendocrine function. Brain Res 2010; 1336:78-88. [PMID: 20381466 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.03.098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2010] [Revised: 02/26/2010] [Accepted: 03/27/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Neuropsychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression have formidable economic and societal impacts. A dysregulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis leading to elevated endogenous glucocorticoid levels is often associated with such disorders. Chronically high glucocorticoid levels may act upon the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) to alter normally adaptive responses into those that are maladaptive and detrimental. In addition to glucocorticoids, other steroid hormones such as estradiol and androgens can also modify hormonal and behavioral responses to threatening stimuli. In particular, estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) agonists have been shown to be anxiolytic. Consequently, these experiments addressed the hypothesis that the selective stimulation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the CeA would increase anxiety-like behaviors and HPA axis reactivity to stress, and further, that an ERbeta agonist could modulate these effects. Young adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were ovariectomized and bilaterally implanted via stereotaxic surgery with a wax pellet containing the selective GR agonist RU28362 or a blank pellet, to a region just dorsal to the CeA. Four days later, animals were administered the ERbeta agonist S-DPN or vehicle (with four daily sc injections). Anxiety-type behaviors were measured using the elevated plus maze (EPM). Central RU28362 implants caused significantly higher anxiety-type behaviors in the EPM and greater plasma CORT levels than controls given a blank central implant. Moreover, S-DPN treated animals, regardless of type of central implant, displayed significantly lower anxiety-type behaviors and post-EPM plasma CORT levels than vehicle treated controls or vehicle treated animals implanted with RU28362. These results indicate that selective activation of GR within the CeA is anxiogenic, and peripheral administration of an ERbeta agonist can overcome this effect. These data suggest that estradiol signaling via ERbeta prevents glucocorticoid-dependent effects of the CeA on behavior and neuroendocrine function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Weiser
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Division, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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