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The use of the antidepressant drug chlorpromazine (CPZ) is linked to the occurrence of oxidative stress in some brain structures. Thus, overcoming the side effects of CPZ is of great importance. Because agmatine (AGM) can act as a free radical scavenger, it is an interesting compound as an adjunct to CPZ therapy. The aim of our study was to investigate the enzymatic parameters of oxidative stress in the hippocampus and striatum of rats after CPZ treatment, and the potential protective effects of AGM. Rats were injected as follows with (i) 1 mL/kg b.w. saline; (ii) a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) dose of CPZ (38.7 mg/kg); (iii) CPZ (38.7 mg/kg) and AGM (75 mg/kg); (iv) AGM (75 mg/kg). CPZ induced an increase in superoxide anion radical (O2 •-) concentration, while the activities of the antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR), were lowered in both the hippocampus and striatum. Cotreatment with CPZ and AGM protected the examined brain structures by reversing the antioxidant enzyme activities to the control values. Following CPZ treatment, the effects were more pronounced for SOD and GPx in the hippocampus, and for SOD, CAT and GPx in the striatum. The full effect of restored superoxide production was achieved in the striatum, which points to the role of CAT. The obtained results suggest that CPZ in combination with AGM may be considered as a new treatment strategy.

The aim of the present study was to examine the morphometric characteristics of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) immunoreactive cells in the pituitaries of orchidectomized (Orx) and Orx testosterone- or estradiol-treated rats. Adult male Orx Wistar rats, 2 weeks post operation, received estradiol dipropionate (E) or testosterone propionate (T) for 3 weeks. Both controls, sham-operated (So) and Orx rats, were injected with solvent, in the same regime. Changes in the volume of pars distalis , the volumes of individual FSH- and LH-labeled cells, their numerical density and number were determined by unbiased design-based stereology. The FSH and LH intracellular content was estimated by relative intensity of fluorescence (RIF). We observed that Orx caused hyperstimulation of gonadotropic cells. Their volume, volume density, number, numerical density and intracellular hormone content significantly increased in comparison to So controls. Compared to Orx controls, T caused a significant decrease in the volume and volume density of gonadotropic cells and immunoreactive FSH and LH content in their cytoplasm. The volume of the pars distalis , the numerical density and number of gonadotropic cells were not changed as compared to Orx controls. Estradiol treatment caused a significant increase in the volume of the pars distalis , decreases in cell volume, volume and numerical density of gonadotropic cells, and FSH and LH intracellular content in comparison to Orx controls. The number of FSH-labeled cells increased. In conclusion, both T and E reversed all of the examined parameters of gonadotropic cells of Orx rats to the level of So controls, except in number. DOI: 10.2298/ABS151201070N Key words: estradiol; gonadotropic cells; orchidectomy; stereology; testosterone Received: December 1, 2015; Revised: February 17, 2016; Accepted: February 18, 2016; Published online: August 17, 2016 How to cite this article: Nestorovic NM, Trifunovic SL, Jaric IM, Manojlovic-Stojanoski MN, Ristic NM, Filipovic BR, Sosic-Jurjevic BT, Milosevic VLj. Sex steroid application reverses changes in rat castration cells: Unbiased stereological analysis. Arch Biol Sci. 2016;68(4):821-8.

The effects of estradiol (EDP) and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) on histological and stereological features of adrenocorticotropic (ACTH) cells in peripubertal female rats were examined. The first group of females received five injections of EDP (0.25 mg/kg b.w.), every second day from the 4th to 14th day after birth, and was killed at the peripubertal stage. The second group of females was given two injections of pregnyl-gonadotrophinum chorionicum (HCG; 50 IU/kg body weight) on the 36th and 37th days after birth, and it was killed 24 h after the last treatment. The controls were injected with an equivalent volume of the corresponding vehicle. ACTH cells were immunohistochemically labeled and stereologically evaluated. Stereological analysis showed that the volume of ACTH cells and their volume density in peripubertal females treated with EDP, were decreased by 15.6\% and 53.8\% (p < 0.05), respectively, compared to the controls. In HCG-treated animals, the observed parameters were increased by 39.2\% and 15.4\% (p < 0.05), respectively, in comparison with the control females. These findings suggest that the application of EDP or HCG exerted opposite effects on the stereological features of pituitary ACTH cells. Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia {[}ON 173009]

Andropause, the culminating phase of ageing in males is characterized by the decline of the growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) axis that is responsible for somatic development. Estrogens on the other hand, assume a relevant somatic role, as well as the one in the pituitary. They are particularly interesting because of their therapeutic uses in certain common ageing-associated diseases. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of subcutaneous treatment with estradiol, dipropionate on the immunohistomorphometric features of GH cells, in an animal model of the andropause. Sixteen-month-old Wistar rats were divided into sham-operated (SO), orchidectomized (Orx) and estradiol dipropionate-treated orchidectomized (Orx+Edp) groups. Estradiol dipropionate (0.625 mg/kg/day) was administered subcutaneously for three weeks while the SO and Orx groups received the vehicle alone. GH cells were identified by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) immunohistochemical procedure. In the Orx+Edp group, GH cell volumes as well as the relative volume densities were significantly (p

Neonatal female rats (3-7 days old) were injected subcutaneously twice daily with 20 ?g of SRIH-14/100g b.w. for five consecutive days. The animals were sacrificed in the peripubertal (38 days old) or adult (80 days old) periods of life. Control rats were treated in the same way with identical volumes of saline. SRIH-14 led to significant reduction (p0.05) changes in the morphometric parameters of adult adrenal cortex after SRIH-14 treatment compared with control females. It can be concluded that subcutaneously applied SRIH-14 in the neonatal period inhibits growth of adrenal ZG cells in female rats only up to the peripubertal stage, while the adrenal gland cortex recovers before mature adulthood is reached.

Glucocorticoids and thyroid hormones control many aspects of fetal development. Using immunohistochemistry and stereology, in the present study we investigated the effects of dexamethasone (Dx) administration during pregnancy on pituitary TSH cells of 19-day-old fetuses. Doses of 1.0, 0.5, and 0.5 mg Dx/kg bw/day were given to the dams on three consecutive days starting on day 16 of gestation. Administration of Dx to pregnant rats induced a significant decline of fetal TSH cell number per unit of area and their volume density in comparison with the corresponding controls. Our results showed that maternal Dx administration inhibited multiplication of TSH cells in 19-day-old fetuses.

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