Neuroendocrinology

INTRODUCTION: Progestin, commonly used in oral contraception and preventing preterm birth, elicits various off-target side effects on brain and gastrointestinal (GI) functions, yet the precise mechanisms remain elusive. This study aims to p…

INTRODUCTION: Sex steroid hormone fluctuations may underlie both reproductive disorders and sex differences in lifetime depression prevalence. Previous studies report high comorbidity among reproductive disorders and between reproductive di…

The susceptibility of the reproductive system to early exposure to steroid hormones has become a major concern in our modern societies. Human fetuses are at risk of abnormal programming via exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals, inadve…

Pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is crucial to normal reproductive function and abnormalities in pulse frequency give rise to reproductive dysfunction. Kisspeptin and neurokinin B (NKB), neuropeptides secreted by the same neu…

Modulation of lordosis behavior by stimulation of noradrenergic receptor subtypes was examined in ovariectomized, estradiol benzoate (10 micrograms)-primed guinea pigs. In the first experiment, subcutaneous administration of the alpha-2-nor…

Sympathetic nerves innervate smooth muscle cells in the theca externa of Graafian follicles and induce contraction of the follicle wall. The interaction of prostaglandins (PGs) with the function of this neuromuscular complex has been elucid…

In experiment I we studied the capacity of progesterone (P) and two nonsteroidal agents that activate lordosis, but do not bind to the progestin receptor (PR), i.e. luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) to…

Progestin-facilitated lordosis of hamsters and rats is enhanced by activation of dopamine type 1 (D1) or GABAA/benzodiazepine receptor complexes (GBRs) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and these effects involve G-proteins and second mess…

The effect of preferential delivery of estradiol (E2) into the brain on both the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and weight gain was studied in female rats. When E2 was coupled to a lipoidal dihydropyridine-pyridinium carrier, the resul…