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The Potential Role of Nitric Oxide Synthase in Survival and Regeneration of Magnocellular Neurons of Hypothalamo-Neurohypophyseal System

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Abstract

Previous investigations from this laboratory have demonstrated that hypophysectomy induces up-regulation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in magnocellular neurons of the mammalian hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system (HNS). Accompanied by this upregulation of nNOS, both neuronal regeneration and degeneration are also observed in this system following hypophysectomy. The specific aim of this study was to determine the potential role of nNOS upregulation in neuronal survival and regeneration after hypophysectomy in the adult Sprague–Dawley (SD) rat by using a competitive nitric oxide synthase blocker, N(G)-nitrol-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME). We found that l-NAME treatment effectively blocked the regeneration of magnocellular neurons of the rodent hypothalamus as observed in the lumen of the third cerebral ventricle following hypophysectomy. However, l-NAME had no effect on the survival of magnocellular neurons in the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei after hypophysectomy. These results suggest that the induced increase of nNOS expression enhance the regenerative ability of magnocellular neurons of the HNS following hypophysectomy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Qiuju Yuan, Kwow-Fai So & Wutian Wu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Kwow-Fai So & Wutian Wu

  3. Research Center of Reproduction, Development and Growth, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Wutian Wu

  4. School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Qiuju Yuan & Zhixiu Lin

  5. The Department of Pathology & Anatomy, The Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA

    David E. Scott

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Correspondence to Wutian Wu.

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Yuan, Q., Scott, D.E., So, KF. et al. The Potential Role of Nitric Oxide Synthase in Survival and Regeneration of Magnocellular Neurons of Hypothalamo-Neurohypophyseal System. Neurochem Res 34, 1907–1913 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-009-9965-0

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